Comparison of procalcitonin measurement by a semi-quantitative method and an ultra-sensitive quantitative method in a pediatric emergency department

ObjectiveTo compare procalcitonin measurements between semi-quantitative and quantitative assays.MethodProcalcitonin was measured with the PCT-Q® and the Kryptor® assays in a pediatric emergency department.ResultsAmong the 359 pairs of results, 103 had discordant results. The linear weighted kappa was 0.44 (95% CI 0.36, 0.51). The concordant/discordant results distribution varied depending on the laboratory technician (p = 0.018).ConclusionAgreement between procalcitonin measured semi-quantitatively and quantitatively was moderate. This is probably due to a subjective interpretation of the assay result.