title: Interleukin-6 and procalcitonin in serum of children undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of our study was to investigate the systemic inflammatory response in children with congenital heart disease undergoing surgical correction with cardiopulmonary bypass. We wanted to discuss interleukin 6 and procalcitonin as components of the systemic inflammatory response syndrome to cardiopulmonary bypass and evaluate postoperative kinetics of these parameters in case of an uncomplicated course.
  
  
  METHODS
  Procalcitonin and interleukin 6 were determined before and after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery in 37 children on the day of surgery, the first and fourth postoperative day. The increased procalcitonin and interleukin 6 levels were evaluated in relationship to intraoperative variables such as duration of aortic cross clamping, incisional trauma and cardiac bypass temperature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peak levels of procalcitonin were detected on the first postoperative day, while interleukin 6 reached its highest values on the day of surgery. In contrast to interleukin 6 the median values of procalcitonin differed significantly between short versus long aortic clamping time and atriotomy versus ventriculotomy. Interleukin 6 reached normal levels on the fourth postoperative day, while procalcitonin was still clearly above normal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum concentrations of procalcitonin and interleukin 6 were influenced by systemic inflammatory response syndrome following cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. Even in case of an uncomplicated course both parameters were elevated for at least four days. While procalcitonin serum concentrations were dependent on aortic clamping time or incisional trauma, interleukin 6 showed no significant relation with these intraoperative variables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. shammer@helios.med.uni-muenchen.de
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hammer
authors.forename: Alexandra T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rinker
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daebritz
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kozlik-Feldmann
authors.forename: Heinrich
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Netz
mesh_terms: D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002315:Cardiopulmonary Bypass; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D015850:Interleukin-6; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide