Role of C-Reactive Protein Assessment as Early Predictor of Surgical Site Infections Development after Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Role of C-Reactive Protein, White Blood Cell Counts, and Serum Glucose Levels as Early Predictors of Infectious Complications After Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

BACKGROUND

The early detection of infectious complications of colorectal surgery leads to better patient outcomes. This study aimed to assess the role of C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and serum glucose in the early prediction of infectious complications of laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

METHODS

Patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal surgery were included and stratified into two groups: infectious complication (IC) or no infectious complication (non-IC). Serum levels were measured on postoperative days (PODs) 2 and 4.

RESULTS

Analysis of 224 patients (IC group: 27, Non-IC group: 197) revealed higher CRP levels in IC group on POD 2 (P = .001). On POD 4, CRP levels and WBC counts were higher in IC group (P<.001, P = .011, respectively). The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) for CRP on PODs 2 and 4 were .743 and .907, respectively, and for WBC on POD 4 was .687. The cut-offs of CRP on PODs 2 and 4 were 156.2 mg/L and 91.3 mg/L, respectively; the cut-off of WBC was 7,220 cells/mm3. Sensitivity of CRP level ≥91.3 mg/L or WBC count ≥7,220 cells/mm3 was 96.3%; (cf. 88.9% for CRP alone), and specificity of CRP level ≥91.3 mg/L and WBC count ≥7,220 cells/mm3 was 93.4% (cf. 82.2% for CRP alone).

DISCUSSION

The CRP level on postoperative day (POD) 2 and the combined CRP and WBC on POD 4 were meaningful in predicting infectious complications after laparoscopic colorectal surgery. However, serum glucose levels had a low predictive value for infectious complications.

Complications of modern pancreaticoduodenectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

In the past decades, the perioperative management of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) has undergone major changes worldwide. This review aimed to systematically determine the burden of complications of PD performed in the last 10 years.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic review was conducted in PubMed for randomized controlled trials and observational studies reporting postoperative complications in at least 100 PDs from January 2010 to April 2020. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB2 tool for randomized studies and the methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS). Pooled complication rates were estimated using random-effects meta-analysis. Heterogeneity was investigated by subgroup analysis and meta-regression.

RESULTS

A total of 20 randomized and 49 observational studies reporting 63 229 PDs were reviewed. Mean MINORS score showed a high risk of bias in non-randomized studies, while one quarter of the randomized studies were assessed to have high risk of bias. Pooled incidences of 30-day mortality, overall complications and serious complications were 1.7% (95% CI: 0.9%-2.9%; I² = 95.4%), 54.7% (95% CI: 46.4%-62.8%; I² = 99.4%) and 25.5% (95% CI: 21.8%-29.4%; I²= 92.9%), respectively. Clinically-relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula risk was 14.3% (95% CI: 12.4%-16.3%; I² = 92.0%) and mean length of stay was 14.8 days (95% CI: 13.6-16.1; I² = 99.3%). Meta-regression partially attributed the observed heterogeneity to the country of origin of the study, the study design and the American Society of Anesthesiologists class.

CONCLUSIONS

Pooled complication rates estimated in this study may be used to counsel patients scheduled to undergo a PD and to set benchmarks against which centers can audit their practice. However, cautious interpretation is necessary due to substantial heterogeneity.

Development and validation of a nomogram for predicting post-operative abdominal infection in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy

AIM

The aim of this retrospective study is to develop and validate a predictive nomogram for predicting the risk of post-operative abdominal infection (PAI) in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

METHODS

A total of 360 patients who underwent PD were enrolled into this research and randomly divided into the development and validation group. The clinical data of patients were statistically compared and the nomogram was constructed based on the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis and stepwise (stepAIC) selection. The nomogram was internally and crossly validated by the development and validation cohort. The discriminatory ability of the nomogram was estimated by AUC (Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve), calibration curve and decision curve analysis.

RESULTS

After PD, post-operative abdominal infection occurred in 33.89% (n = 122) of patients. The nomogram showed that preoperative biliary drainage and C-reactive protein (CRP), direct bilirubin (DB), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) levels on the 3rd postoperative day (POD3) were independent prognostic factors for abdominal infection after PD. The internal and cross validation of Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was statistically significant (AUC = 0.723 and 0.786, respectively). The calibration curves showed good agreement between nomogram predictions and actual observations. The decision curves showed that the nomogram was of great clinical value.

CONCLUSION

A nomogram based on perioperative risk factors such as preoperative biliary drainage, CRP, DB and AKP could simply and accurately predict the risk degree of PAI in patients undergoing PD.

Correlation between surgical site infection and time-dependent blood platelet count in immunocompromised patients after femoral neck fracture

Objective

The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after femoral neck fracture is significantly higher in immunocompromised patients. This study was performed to explore the temporal changes of blood-related parameters in immunocompromised patients after femoral neck fracture repair and to determine the correlation between the platelet (PLT) count and SSI.

Methods

This study involved 101 immunocompromised patients who underwent repair of a femoral neck fracture from April 2018 to August 2019. SSI was confirmed by postoperative observation of the incision and B-mode ultrasound imaging examination. Blood parameter measurements and dynamic observation were performed 1, 3, 5, 7, and 14 days postoperatively.

Results

The procalcitonin concentration, D-dimer concentration, and PLT count were strongly correlated with temporal changes. The PLT count changes crossed between patients with and without SSI 3 to 5 days after surgery, and the PLT count increased in patients with SSI 3 to 5 days after surgery. The PLT count had high specificity and sensitivity for predicting SSI with a cut-off value of 167.5 × 109/L.

Conclusion

The temporal changes of the PLT count in immunocompromised patients who have undergone femoral neck fracture repair can serve as an early warning of SSI.

Diagnostic value of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin for postoperative pancreatic fistula following pancreatoduodenectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) have recently been used to diagnose and screen for postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), but their reliability is still unclear. Our study aims to assess the efficacy of CRP and PCT in the diagnosis of POPF after PD.

METHODS

Electronic databases such as PubMed, Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), the Web of Science (WOS) and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were used to search for studies and full-text articles that assessed the diagnostic efficacy of CRP and PCT for POPF. Review Manager 5.4 and STATA 14.0 were used to estimate the pooled diagnostic value of CRP and PCT. Sensitivity analyses and Deeks' funnel plot tests were conducted on the selected studies.

RESULTS

Twenty studies that satisfied the established selection criteria were chosen. Both CRP and PCT were shown to be highly effective in diagnosing POPF, each with a high area under the curve (AUC). The AUC of CRP on postoperative day (POD) 4 had a value of 0.86, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.85 and 0.69, respectively. The AUC of PCT on POD 5 had a value of 0.87, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.84 and 0.74, respectively.

DISCUSSION

Our research supports the hypothesis that CRP and PCT are valuable diagnostic tools for predicting POPF, especially given the CRP levels on POD 4 and PCT levels on POD 5. Limited by the small number of the studies analyzed herein, we recommend that more randomized controlled trials be performed to verify our conclusions.

Clinically relevant features for predicting the severity of surgical site infections

Surgical site infections are hospital-acquired infections resulting in severe risk for patients and significantly increased costs for healthcare providers. In this work, we show how to leverage irregularly sampled preoperative blood tests to predict, on the day of surgery, a future surgical site infection and its severity. Our dataset is extracted from the electronic health records of patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery and developed either deep, shallow or no infection. We represent the patients using the concentrations of fourteen common blood components collected over the four weeks preceding the surgery partitioned into six time windows. A gradient boosting based classifier trained on our new set of features reports, respectively, an AUROC of 0:991 and 0:937 at predicting a postoperative infection and the severity thereof. Further analyses support the clinical relevance of our approach as the most important features describe the nutritional status and the liver function over the two weeks prior to surgery.

Post-operative procalcitonin and C-reactive protein predict pancreatic fistula after laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Clinically relevant pancreatic fistula (CRPF) is a serious complication following laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD). This study aimed to determine if C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) serum levels could be used as early biomarkers to predict CRPF after LPD.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, we collected peri-operative data of patients who underwent LPD between January 2019 and November 2019. We compared serum levels of white blood cells (WBC), CRP, and PCT on post-operative days (POD) 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 between the CRPF and non-CRPF groups and analyzed the predictive risk factors for CRPF.

RESULTS

Among the 186 patients included in this study, 18 patients (9.7%) developed CRPF, including 15 and 3 patients with grade B and C fistulas, respectively. The mean WBC, CRP, and PCT levels were higher on most PODs in the CRPF group compared to the non-CRPF group. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that CRP levels on POD 2, 5, and 7 can predict CRPF development after LPD, with the area under the curve (AUC) value reaching the highest level on POD 2 (AUC 0.794). PCT levels on POD 2, 3, 5, and 7 were highly predictive of CRPF after LPD. The highest AUC value was achieved on POD 3 [PCT > 2.10 ng/ml (AUC 0.951; sensitivity 88.2%, specificity 92.9%, P < 0.001)].

CONCLUSIONS

Both CRP and PCT levels can be used to predict CRPF development after LPD, with PCT having a higher predictive value.

Postoperative serum procalcitonin versus C-reactive protein as a marker of postoperative infectious complications in pancreatic surgery: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Aim of this meta-analysis was to compare diagnostic accuracy C-reactive protein and procalcitonin between postoperative days 3 and 5 to predict infectious complications post pancreatic surgery.

METHODS

A systemic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and SCOPUS to identify studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein to predict infectious complications between postoperative days 3 and 5 following pancreatic surgery. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effect model and pooled predictive parameters.

RESULTS

Fifteen studies consisting of 2212 patients were included in the final meta-analysis. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, area under curve and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) for day 3 C-reactive protein were 62%, 67%, 0.772 and 6.54, respectively. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, area under curve and DOR for day 3 procalcitonin were 74%, 79%, 0.8453 and 11.03, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve and DOR for day 4 C-reactive protein were 60%, 68%, 0.8022 and 11.90, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity and DOR of postoperative day 5 procalcitonin level for predicting infectious complications were 83%, 70% and 12.9, respectively. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, Area Under Receiver Operating Curve and DOR were 50%, 70%, 0.777 and 10.19, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Postoperative procalcitonin is a better marker to predict postoperative infectious complications after pancreatic surgeries.

Impaired immune reaction and increased lactate and C-reactive protein for early prediction of severe morbidity and pancreatic fistula after pancreatoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

Prediction of complications after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) remains of interest. Blood parameters and biomarkers during first and second postoperative days (POD1, POD2) may be early indicators of complications.

METHODS

This case-control study included 50 patients. Baseline, POD1 and POD2 values of leukocytes, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, hemoglobin, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin and arterial lactate were compared between individuals presenting Clavien ≥ III morbidity, pancreatic fistula (PF) or clinically relevant PF (CRPF) and those without these morbidities. Common variables reaching significance were further analyzed in order to calculate a predictive score.

RESULTS

Severe morbidity, PF and CRPF rates were 28.0%, 26.0% and 14.0%, respectively. Patients with severe morbidity had lower leukocytes on POD2 (P = 0.04). Patients with PF presented higher CRP on POD2 (P = 0.001), higher lactate on POD1 (P = 0.007) and POD2 (P = 0.008), and lower lymphocytes on POD1 (P = 0.007) and POD2 (P = 0.008). Patients with CRPF had lower leukocytes and neutrophils on POD1 (P = 0.048, P = 0.038), lower lymphocytes on POD1 (P = 0.001) and POD2 (P = 0.003), and higher CRP on POD2 (P = 0.001). Baseline parameters and procalcitonin obtained no statistical associations. Score was defined according to lymphocytes on POD1 < 650/µL and CRP on POD2 ≥ 250 mg/L allocating patients in 3 risk categories. PF and CRPF rates were statistically higher as risk category increased (P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic curves and Hosmer-Lemeshow tests showed a good accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired immunological reaction during early postoperative period (lower leukocytes and, particularly, lymphocytes) in response to surgical aggression would favor complications after PD. Likewise, acidosis (higher arterial lactate) could behave as risk factor of PF. An elevated CRP on POD2 is also an early biomarker of PF. Our novel score based on postoperative lymphocyte count and CRP seems reliable for early prediction of PF.

Preoperative C-Reactive Protein/Albumin Ratio, a Risk Factor for Postoperative Delirium in Elderly Patients After Total Joint Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Postoperative delirium (POD), as an acute brain failure, is widely reported as a very common postoperative complication, and it is closely associated with increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate potential risk factors including C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) for POD in elderly subjects after total joint arthroplasty (TJA).

METHODS

A total of 272 elderly patients (aged 65∼85 years) who were scheduled to undergo elective TJA with epidural anesthesia were consecutively recruited. The data of baseline characteristics, operation-associated indexes, and preoperative laboratory tests were collected. POD assessment was performed daily within postoperative 7 days. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was utilized for evaluating the predictive and cut-off value of CAR for POD. Risk factors for POD were evaluated by the binary univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Within postoperative 7 days, there were 55 patients who had suffered POD with an incidence of 20.2% (55/272). The area under the curve of CAR for POD was 0.804, with the cut-off value of 2.35, a sensitivity of 66.82%, and a specificity of 80.00%, respectively (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.737-0.872, P < .001). Age (odds ratio: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.03-3.96, P = .038) and preoperative CAR level (odds ratio: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.23-7.23, P = .016) were 2 independent risk factors for POD in elderly subjects undergoing TJA.

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative CAR level may be a promising predictor for POD in elderly subjects following TJA.

Maximizing Interpretability and Cost-Effectiveness of Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Predictive Models Using Feature-Specific Regularized Logistic Regression on Preoperative Temporal Data

This study describes a novel approach to solve the surgical site infection (SSI) classification problem. Feature engineering has traditionally been one of the most important steps in solving complex classification problems, especially in cases with temporal data. The described novel approach is based on abstraction of temporal data recorded in three temporal windows. Maximum likelihood L1-norm (lasso) regularization was used in penalized logistic regression to predict the onset of surgical site infection occurrence based on available patient blood testing results up to the day of surgery. Prior knowledge of predictors (blood tests) was integrated in the modelling by introduction of penalty factors depending on blood test prices and an early stopping parameter limiting the maximum number of selected features used in predictive modelling. Finally, solutions resulting in higher interpretability and cost-effectiveness were demonstrated. Using repeated holdout cross-validation, the baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) classifier achieved a mean AUC of 0.801, whereas our best full lasso model achieved a mean AUC of 0.956. Best model testing results were achieved for full lasso model with maximum number of features limited at 20 features with an AUC of 0.967. Presented models showed the potential to not only support domain experts in their decision making but could also prove invaluable for improvement in prediction of SSI occurrence, which may even help setting new guidelines in the field of preoperative SSI prevention and surveillance.

Diagnostic accuracy of the postoperative ratio of C-reactive protein to albumin for complications after colorectal surgery

Background

The ratio of C-reactive protein to albumin, as a novel inflammation-based prognostic score, is associated with outcomes in cancer and septic patients. The diagnostic accuracy of the CRP/albumin ratio has not been assessed in colorectal surgery for postoperative complications.

Methods

A total of 359 patients undergoing major colorectal surgery between 2012 and 2015 were eligible for this study. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for postoperative complications. Receiver operating characteristic curves were developed to examine the cutoff values and diagnostic accuracy of the CRP/albumin ratio and postoperative CRP levels.

Results

Among all the patients, 139 (38.7%) were reported to have postoperative complications. The CRP/albumin ratio was an independent risk factor for complications (OR 4.413; 95% CI 2.463–7.906; P < 0.001), and the cutoff value was 2.2, which had a higher area under the curve compared to CRP on postoperative day 3 (AUC 0.779 vs 0.756). The CRP/albumin ratio also had a higher positive predictive value than CRP levels on postoperative day 3. Patients with CRP/albumin ≥2.2 suffered more postoperative complications (60.8% vs 18.6%, P < 0.001), longer postoperative stays (10 (4–71) vs 7 (3–78) days, P < 0.001), and increased surgical site infections (SSIs) (21.1% vs 4.8%, P < 0.001) than those with CRP/albumin <2.2.

Conclusions

The ratio of C-reactive protein to albumin could help to identify patients who have a high probability of postoperative complications, and the ratio has higher diagnostic accuracy than C-reactive protein alone for postoperative complications in colorectal surgery.