Prognosis prediction of procalcitonin within 24 h for acute diquat poisoning

To explore the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) within 24 h after poisoning for prognosis of acute diquat poisoning.

This retrospective study included acute diquat poisoning patients in the Nanyang City Hospital between May 2017 and July 2021.

Among the 45 patients included, 27 survived. The maximum PCT value within 24 h after poisoning was significantly higher in the non-survival patients [9.65 (2.63, 22.77) vs. 0.15 (0.10, 0.50) µg/mL, P < 0.001] compared to the survival patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) indicated that the maximum PCT value within 24 h had a good predictive value (AUC = 0.905, 95% CI: 0.808-1.000) compared to ingested quantity (AUC = 0.879, 95% CI: 0.776–0.981), serum creatinine (AUC = 0.776, 95% CI: 0.640–0.912), or APACHE II score (AUC = 0.778, 95% CI: 0.631–0.925). The predictive value of maximum PCT value within 24 h was comparable with blood lactate (AUC = 0.904, 95%CI: 0.807-1.000).

The maximum PCT value within 24 h after poisoning might be a good predictor for the prognosis of patients with acute diquat poisoning.