The potential clinical value of pairing procalcitonin and lung ultrasonography to guide antibiotic therapy in patients with community-acquired pneumonia: a narrative review

LUS has excellent diagnostic accuracy for pneumonia in different settings, regardless of the examiner's experience. PCT guidance safely reduces antibiotic prescription in LRTIs. The combination of both tools has demonstrated an enhanced accuracy in the diagnosis of pneumonia, including CAP in the ED and VAP in the ICU, but randomized controlled studies need to validate the clinical impact of a combined approach.