Florence B, et al. - In this 5-year prospective cohort study, researchers sought real-life evidence to ascertain the already proven efficacy of procalcitonin (PCT) monitoring for decreasing exposure to antibiotics in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in randomized controlled trials. They examined all patients with VAP in whom ABT was stopped prior to death or discharge. They compared the “PCT-guided” group, in which ABT was stopped in accordance with the algorithm (ABT withdrawal strongly encouraged if PCT < 0.5 ng/mL or < 80% peak value) to “not PCT-guided” group in which ABT was continued despite PCT decrease. Findings showed the safety of PCT-guided ABT adherence for patients with VAP. Also, reduced exposure to antibiotics was likely in relation to PCT-guided ABT adherence.