title: Increased interleukin-6 after cardiac surgery predicts infection.
abstract: Early diagnosis and treatment of infection after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) improves outcome. Conventional laboratory tests, such as C-reactive protein and white blood cell count can not distinguish patients with early infection from those with systemic inflammatory response syndrome but without infection. After CPB, there is a systemic release of proinflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10. We investigated the predictive ability of these variables for infection after cardiac surgery. Forty-six patients with impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (<60%), scheduled for cardiac surgery, were included. Plasma samples were drawn 1 day before and immediately before surgery, on admission to the intensive care unit, and on days 1, 3, and 7 after surgery. Infection was identified according to the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After surgery 13 patients developed an infection. In patients with infection, confirmed a median of 4 days after surgery, all measurements of IL-6, and IL-10 on postoperative day 3 were significantly increased. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha, leukocytes, and C-reactive protein were not increased in these patients. Immediately after surgery blood glucose was significantly increased in patients with infection. Increased IL-6 after CPB is predictive of infection after cardiac surgery in patients with impaired left ventricular function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Charité Campus Mitte, Schumannstr. 20/21, 10117 Berlin, Germany. michael.sander@charite.de
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sander
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Heymann
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: von Dossow
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spaethe
authors.forename: Wolfgang F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Konertz
authors.forename: Uday
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Claudia D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Spies
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006348:Cardiac Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000097:blood; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D001786:Blood Glucose; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016753:Interleukin-10