Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases & Practice
Open Access

Research Article

Procalcitonin and Other Inflammatory Measurements in Left-Ventricular Assist Device Recipients

Glenn W. Wortmann^1*, Maria Elena Ruiz¹, Samer Najjar² and Osamuyimen O. Igbinosa¹

¹Infectious Disease Section, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, USA

²Advanced Heart Failure Section, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, USA

Received Date: Jul 12, 2018 / Accepted Date: Jul 22, 2018 / Published Date: Aug 27, 2018

Citation: Wortmann GW, Ruiz ME, Najjar S, Igbinosa OO (2018) Procalcitonin and Other Inflammatory Measurements in Left-Ventricular Assist Device Recipients. J Clin Infect Dis Pract 3: 128.

Copyright: © 2018 Wortmann GW, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

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Aim: Procalcitonin (PCT) has been identified as a marker of infection, but normal values in patients with a LVAD are not defined. The aim of our study was to define PCT levels in uninfected LVAD recipients, and to confirm prior studies reporting elevated inflammatory markers in LVAD recipients. Method: White blood cell count (WBC), CRP, ESR and PCT were measured in 15 LVAD recipients. Results: CRP (mean value 4.43 mg/L) and ESR (mean value 29.53 mm/hour) were elevated, but PCT levels were not (level <0.1mcg/L in 14 patients and 0.14 mcg/L in one patient). Conclusion: Infections related to left-ventricular assist devices (LVAD) can be subtle. PCT may serve as a useful biomarker of infection in LVAD recipients.

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