Serum procalcitonin level and leukocyte antisedimentation rate as early predictors of respiratory dysfunction after oesophageal tumour resection

Bogar Lajos, Molnar Zsolt, Tarsoly Piroska, Kenyeres Peter, Marton, Marton Sandor

Description

Postoperative care after oesophageal tumour resection holds a high risk of respiratory complications. We therefore aimed to determine the value of systemic inflammatory markers in predicting arterial hypoxaemia as the earliest sign of developing lung injury after oesophageal tumour resection. Methods In a prospective observational study, 33 consecutive patients were observed for three days (T1–T3) after admission (T0) to an intensive care unit following oesophageal tumour resection. The daily highest values of the heart rate, axillary temperature, leukocyte count and PaCO 2 were recorded. Serum C-reactive protein and procalcitonin concentrations and the leukocyte antisedimentation rate (LAR) were determined at T1 and T2. Respiratory function was monitored 6-hourly measurement of the PaO 2 /FIO 2 ratio, and the lowest value was recorded at T3. Patients were categorised as normoxaemic or hypoxaemic using the cutoff value of 300 mmHg for PaO 2 /FIO 2 . Results Seventeen out of 33 patients were classified as hypoxaemic and 16 patients as normoxaemic at T3. Increases of temperature at T0 and of the procalcitonin and LAR values at T2 were predictive of hypoxaemia at T3 ( P < 0.05, P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.65 for the temperature at T0, which was significantly lower than that for the procalcitonin level at T2 (0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.97; P < 0.01) and that for LAR at T2 (0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.77–1.00; P < 0.001). Conclusion These results suggest that an elevated LAR (>15%) and an elevated procalcitonin concentration (>2.5 ng/ml) measured on the second postoperative day can predict next-day arterial hypoxaemia (PaO 2 /FIO 2 < 300 mmHg) after oesophageal tumour resection.

Informations

• Publié par: biomed
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 6
• Langue: English

Extrait

Available onlinehttp://ccforum.com/content/10/4/R110

Vol 10 No 4 Open Access Research Serum procalcitonin level and leukocyte antisedimentation rate as early predictors of respiratory dysfunction after oesophageal tumour resection Lajos Bogar, Zsolt Molnar, Piroska Tarsoly, Peter Kenyeres and Sandor Marton

Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Pecs, Hungary

Corresponding author: Lajos Bogar, [e-mail]

Received: 1 Mar 2006Revisions requested: 24 Apr 2006Revisions received: 16 May 2006Accepted: 17 Jul 2006Published: 19 Jul 2006

Critical Care2006,10:R110 (doi:10.1186/cc4992) This article is online at: http://ccforum.com/content/10/4/R110 © 2006 Bogaret al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract Introductioncare after oesophageal tumour Postoperative resection holds a high risk of respiratory complications. We therefore aimed to determine the value of systemic inflammatory markers in predicting arterial hypoxaemia as the earliest sign of developing lung injury after oesophageal tumour resection.

MethodsIn a prospective observational study, 33 consecutive patients were observed for three days (T1–T3) after admission (T0) to an intensive care unit following oesophageal tumour resection. The daily highest values of the heart rate, axillary temperature, leukocyte count and PaCOwere recorded. 2 Serum Creactive protein and procalcitonin concentrations and the leukocyte antisedimentation rate (LAR) were determined at T1 and T2. Respiratory function was monitored 6hourly measurement of the PaO/FIO ratio,and the lowest value was 2 2 recorded at T3. Patients were categorised as normoxaemic or hypoxaemic using the cutoff value of 300 mmHg for PaO/FIO . 2 2

Introduction Oesophageal tumour resections carry a considerable risk of early postoperative complications. The consequent inhospital mortality rate can be as high as 10–15% [1]. Atelectasis for mation has been identified as a leading cause of early second ary morbidity after oesophagectomy [2]. The preceding clinical signs that can be linked to the atelectasis formation and con sequent arterial hypoxaemia, however, have not been studied after oesophagectomy.

Our group previously observed that procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker of the severity of bacterial infections failed to predict postoperative inflammatory complications after major opera

Results Seventeenout of 33 patients were classified as hypoxaemic and 16 patients as normoxaemic at T3. Increases of temperature at T0 and of the procalcitonin and LAR values at T2 were predictive of hypoxaemia at T3 (P< 0.05,P< 0.01 andP < 0.001, respectively). The area under the receiveroperating characteristic curve was 0.65 for the temperature at T0, which was significantly lower than that for the procalcitonin level at T2 (0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.69–0.97;P< 0.01) and that for LAR at T2 (0.89; 95% confidence interval, 0.77–1.00;P< 0.001).

Conclusionresults suggest that an elevated LAR These (>15%) and an elevated procalcitonin concentration (>2.5 ng/ ml) measured on the second postoperative day can predict next day arterial hypoxaemia (PaO/FIO <300 mmHg) after 2 2 oesophageal tumour resection.

tions [3]. On the contrary, Brunkhorst and colleagues found PCT a reliable marker in discrimination of infectious and non infectious causes of early acute respiratory distress syndrome [4]. The link between a surgical insult and the subsequent lung injury seems obvious and lies among the inflammatory proc esses mediated by the interaction of neutrophil leukocytes, endothelial cells and epithelial cells of the lung.

We previously reported a leukocyte function test measuring the number of upward floating (that is to say, antisedimenting) leukocytes in a sedimentation tube during one hour of gravity sedimentation [5]. The leukocyte antisedimentation rate (LAR) indicates the percentage of leukocytes crossing the middle

CI = confidence interval; CRP = Creactive protein; ICU = intensive care unit; LAR = leukocyte antisedimentation rate; MODS = multiple organ dys function scores; PaCO= arterial carbon dioxide pressure; PaO/FIO =arterial oxygen tension per fractional inspired oxygen concentration; PCT = 2 22 procalcitonin; ROC = receiveroperating characteristic; SIRS = systemic inflammatory reaction syndrome.

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