A groundbreaking UK patient trial, led by researchers from the University of Manchester, has demonstrated that using a new biomarker testing protocol for sepsis can enable doctors to safely shorten antibiotic treatment compared to current practices.
The study found that reducing treatment duration by approximately 10% could yield significant benefits, including cost savings for healthcare systems, fewer adverse drug effects, reduced overtreatment, and lower risks of antimicrobial resistance at individual, community, and global levels.
Commissioned and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the study was conducted in partnership with The University of Manchester, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, and Warwick Medical School’s Clinical Trials Unit, which specialises in emergency and critical care research.
Sepsis is responsible for approximately 50,000 deaths and 100,000 hospital admissions annually in the UK. Prompt recognition and early antibiotic treatment are critical, but until now, there has been uncertainty about the optimal duration of treatment.
Currently, doctors must rely on their clinical judgment to decide when to stop the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used for sepsis treatment.
The new decision support system is based on a simple blood test, carried out daily and available in most NHS hospital laboratories.
It tests for levels of a circulating protein called procalcitonin (PCT), which is produced as part of the body’s immune system responses to bacterial infections.
Higher levels indicate a greater likelihood of bacterial infection and sepsis, with subsequent falling levels indicating favourable responses to treatments
A computer automated response, based on the PCT levels from the blood test, advises doctors whether to discontinue antibiotic treatment or not. A further commonly measured circulating inflammation protein (C-reactive protein or CRP) was also tested.
The team found that a PCT protocol reduced total antibiotic duration by 10% and all-cause mortality, a key patient safety measure, was the same as standard care .
There was no difference in total antibiotic duration between standard care and CRP protocols..
This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionise sepsis care by standardising antibiotic use, improving outcomes, and combating antibiotic resistance.
