Procalcitonin decrease predicts survival and recovery from dialysis at 28 days in patients with sepsis-induced acute kidney injury receiving continuous renal replacement therapy.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker for diagnosing infections and guiding antibiotic therapy. In this study, we investigated whether PCT can predict survival and recovery at 28 days in critically ill patients with sepsis-induced acute kidney injury (SIAKI) receiving continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). We examined 649 patients with SIAKI who underwent CRRT in our intensive care unit. In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, a single PCT level at CRRT initiation was not associated with survival in all patients. However, the higher % PCT decrease over 72 hours after CRRT initiation was independently associated with the higher chance of 28-day survival (per 10% decrease, hazard ratio [HR] for mortality: 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.89; P < 0.001). Among the survivors, the % PCT decrease over 72 hours after CRRT initiation, not a single PCT level at CRRT initiation, was independently associated with recovery from dialysis (per 10% decrease, HR for renal recovery: 1.28, 95% CI:1.21-1.36; P < 0.001). This study demonstrated that the higher % PCT decrease was independently associated with the higher chance of survival and recovery from dialysis at 28 days in critically ill patients with SIAKI receiving CRRT. Thus, a decrease in the PCT level, not a single PCT level at CRRT initiation, could be a valuable tool for predicting prognosis in these patients.