title: The effect of surgical procedures on serum albumin concentration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of surgical trauma on serum albumin concentration during the immediate postoperative period.
  
  
  METHODS
  200 consecutive adult patients submitted to elective major surgeries (Group 1) and to medium size surgeries (Group 2) were identified according to gender, age and skin color. Blood samples for the determination of serum albumin concentration were obtained on the day preceding and the one following the surgical procedure. Pre- and postoperative albumin data were compared by the paired t test. The gender was compared by the Student t test. The skin color and the age were compared by the repeated measured one-way ANOVA and the Tukey-Kramer tests. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a reduction in serum albumin in Group 1 (p < 0.0001) and Group 2 (p < 0.0001), with no difference between gender or skin colors for major surgeries. However, women showed a lower reduction than men in serum albumin in medium-sized surgeries. In medium-sized surgeries, black patients had the lowest reduction in albuminemia. The greater reduction in albuminemia occurred in patients older than 65 years old.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medium-sized and majors operations provoked an acute reduction in albuminemia, which was more intense in aged white men.
authors.affiliation: Alfa Institute of Gastroenterology of the Hospital of Clinics of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Alberti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petroianu
authors.forename: Renata Indelicato
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Zac
authors.forename: J C Cisneiros Guedes
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Andrade
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011300:Preoperative Care; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin