title: Postoperative altered plasma growth hormone levels--a predictor for postoperative complications? A case report.
abstract: We compared the onset of predictors for postoperative complications (lactate, total T2 (tT2), total T4 (tT4) and cortisone) retrospectively with the onset of altered growth hormone (GH) concentration in a patient who had had a lethal postoperative outcome and in 13 patients who were without postoperative complications for a period of 24 hours postoperatively. Compared with the values of the patients without postoperative complications, GH values were elevated (68-fold) 1 h after surgery to 103 ng/ml and lactate was increased (12-fold) to 12.7 mmol/l at 6 h postoperatively in the patient with the lethal outcome. The other parameters measured (tT3, tT4 and cortisone) showed no rapid alteration during the first hours postoperatively. This case report suggests that the rapid postoperative onset of raised GH concentration in plasma may be an earlier marker for postoperative complications than the 'established' predictors.
authors.affiliation: Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany. ruemelin@mail.uni-mainz.de
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rümelin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nietgen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirlich
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thum
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Schäfers
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: von zur Mühlen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kirchner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001021:Aortic Valve / Q000637:transplantation; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003348:Cortisone / Q000097:blood; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D019382:Human Growth Hormone; D019344:Lactic Acid; D003348:Cortisone