Simple Summary – C-Reactive Protein Testing to Guide Antibiotic Prescribing for COPD Exacerbations
Link to the article: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1803185
This study revolves around the usage of a point of care test to guide antibiotic usage in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). They tested C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with COPD. CRP is a inflammatory marker and increased levels are associated with worsening COPD. The study had two groups of COPD patients. One group had normal care and the second group had care guided by CRP point of care testing. There over 600 patients included in the study. They found that patients who had CRP testing had less antibiotics prescribed overall with no evidence of harm indicating CRP testing could be useful in this setting.
