Study of medication guidance of serum procalcitonin testing in pediatric respiratory tract infection

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of serum procalcitonin testing(PCT) in pediatric respiratory tract infection, and to provide evidence for clinical rational drug use. Methods The 80 patients with respiratory tract infection were divided into the bacterial infection group and the viral infection group, 40 cases were in each group,serum PCT levels were measured in all patients, children with positive PCT treated with antibiotic. Results PCT positive rate of the bacterial infection group was higher than that of the viral infection group( χ2=45.112, P0.05). The value of PCT detection of the bacterial infection was higher than that of the viral infection group( t=22.641, P0.05). The effective rate of 38 cases with PCT positive detection that treated with antibiotic was 86.8%. Conclusion Serum PCT is a sensitive index of early judgment of pediatric respiratory tract bacterial infection, and it provides the base of early application of antibiotic for pediatricians.