Augmenting CRB-65 (confusion, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and age 65 or older) score with troponin T high-sensitive (TnT-hs) and procalcitonin (PCT) help to predict death or intensive care unit (ICU) admission of patients hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to the authors of a study published in ERJ Open Research.

The study authors added that the validation improved the risk score in additional CAP cohorts, and clinical studies would assess the broad clinical applicability.

From a 2010 study, CRB-65 was found to perform well to determine the severity of pneumonia and 30-day mortality in hospital settings. However, for community settings, it over-predicted the probability of 30-day mortality across all predicted risk, so the study authors warned that caution should be used when applying this model.

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