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A Comparison of Point of Care C-Reactive Protein Test to Standard C-Reactive Protein Laboratory Measurement in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Setting.

Background
Biomarkers assist in diagnosing neonatal sepsis but often provide results 6 to 48 h later. Bedside C-reactive protein (CRP) test may help to expedite clinical management. We assessed the performance of point of care test (POCT) CRP against routine laboratory analysis and determined the time difference in obtaining results.


Methods
A prospective observational study was conducted over 4 months. Neonates clinically indicated, had CRP simultaneously tested using the POCT and laboratory assays.


Results
Using similar decision cut-off values of 10 mg/l, POCT compared favourably to laboratory testing. The median times to POCT result was 4 min whereas laboratory results were entered at a median of 4.1 h (95th percentile 8 h) but only checked after 5.5 h (95th percentile 19.8 h).


Conclusions
POCT may be a quick and reliable method to determine CRP. It may rationalize antibiotic usage, allow for earlier patient discharge and reduce overall patient management cost.