CRP and inflammatory response: His bedside chest film showed serious left pleural effusions with right lung inflammation (Fig. 1a), and rising inflammatory markers (white blood cells (WBC) 27.55*109/L, procalcitonin (PCT) 2.8900 ng/ml and C-reactive protein (CRP) > 200 mg/L) with some other poor laboratory results (D dimer 0.5 mg/l, lactic acid 10.40 mol/L, albumin 23.4 g/L, creatinine 171.7 μmol/L, B-type natriuretic peptide precursor 1437.00 pg/mL).