Attitudes of surgeons to the use of postoperative markers of the systemic inflammatory response following elective surgery

Selective biomarkers for inflammation and infection are associated with post-operative complications following transperineal template prostate biopsy (TTPB): a single-centre observational clinical pilot-study

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are the most common prostate disorders in the UK, which cause considerable ill health in older men. Transperineal template prostate biopsy (TTPB) has emerged as a reliable procedure for the histopathological diagnosis of PCa and BPH due to its higher cancer detection rates. Although antiseptic preparation and antibiotic prophylaxis are used to ensure safety in patients undergoing surgical intervention, post-operative complications, such as infection and bleeding are still unavoidable, resulting in re-admissions, with resource implications. Currently, there is no biomarker profile to predict outcomes or monitor patients during the post-operative course. The main aim of this single-centre observational clinical pilot-study was to investigate the role of inflammatory and infection biomarkers following TTPB and their association with post-operative complications.

Methods

Forty-five patients scheduled for elective TTPB were recruited after informed consent at the Wrexham Maelor and Glan Clwyd Hospitals, North Wales, UK (n = 45). Prior to surgery, venous blood samples were collected at baseline and subsequently at 30, 120, and 240 min post-operatively. Urine samples were collected before and 120 min after the procedure. Serum procalcitonin (PCT), serum ferritin, and urine B₂MG analysis were done using enzyme-linked fluorescent assay (ELFA) and the magnetic Luminex^® multiplex performance assay was used to analyse IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α plasma concentrations. Data on clinical outcomes were collected from patients’ medical records.

Results

Following TTPB, significant (p ≤ 0.05) increases were observed in uB₂MG, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α. Significant decreases were observed in ferritin (p ≤ 0.05). No significant change was observed in PCT concentration (p ≥ 0.05). One patient developed an infection and severe haematuria post-operatively following TTPB.

Conclusion

Although not confirmative, changes seen in biomarkers such as uB₂MG, IL-10 and TNF-α in our observational clinical pilot-study may warrant further investigation, involving larger cohorts, to fully understand the role of these biomarkers and their potential association with post-operative complications such as infection and bleeding which can develop following TTPB for the diagnosis of PCa and BPH.

Monocytic HLA-DR Expression for Prediction of Anastomotic Leak after Colorectal Surgery

BACKGROUND

Earlier detection of anastomotic leakage (AL) after colorectal procedures could minimize the detrimental clinical impact of AL and thereby reduce morbidity and mortality.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a prospective study with assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of monocytic HLA-DR (mHLA-DR) expression compared with WBCs, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) in predicting AL in patients undergoing elective colorectal operation with anastomosis.

RESULTS

Comparison of the blood marker values on postoperative day (POD) 4 revealed significant differences for all markers, but the difference for mHLA-DR was highly significant (15% expression of monocytes in AL patients vs 34% in patients without AL; p = 0.001). Together with WBC (p = 0.026), mHLA-DR expression was the only test to show significance on day 3 (14% vs 31%; p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that mHLA-DR expression had superior diagnostic accuracy compared with all other diagnostic markers both on POD 3 (mHLA-DR area under the curve [AUC] 0.928; WBC AUC 0.734; CRP AUC 0.707; PCT AUC 0.672) and POD 4 (mHLA-DR AUC 0.887; WBC AUC 0.738; CRP AUC 0.709; PCT AUC 0.696). Monocytic HLA-DR had a negative predictive value of at least 94% on PODs 3 and 4, as well as specificity and positive predictive values of 100% at a threshold of 23% on POD 3 and 24% on POD 4, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Expression of mHLA-DR appears to be a more accurate predictor for AL after colorectal operation compared with WBC, CRP, and PCT. It represents a promising test to precisely monitor the perioperative course of high-risk patients and contribute to safer discharge.

Systematic review and consensus definitions for the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine (StEP) initiative: infection and sepsis

BACKGROUND

Perioperative infection and sepsis are of fundamental concern to perioperative clinicians. However, standardised endpoints are either poorly defined or not routinely implemented. The Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine (StEP) initiative was established to derive a set of standardised endpoints for use in perioperative clinical trials.

METHODS

We undertook a systematic review to identify measures of infection and sepsis used in the perioperative literature. A multi-round Delphi consensus process that included more than 60 clinician researchers was then used to refine a recommended list of outcome measures.

RESULTS

A literature search yielded 1857 titles of which 255 met inclusion criteria for endpoint extraction. A long list of endpoints, with definitions and timescales, was generated and those potentially relevant to infection and sepsis circulated to the theme subgroup and then the wider StEP-COMPAC working group, undergoing a three-stage Delphi process. The response rates for Delphi rounds 1, 3, and 3 were 89% (n=8), 67% (n=62), and 80% (n=8), respectively. A set of 13 endpoints including fever, surgical site, and organ-specific infections as defined by the US Centres for Disease Control and Sepsis-3 are proposed for future use.

CONCLUSIONS

We defined a consensus list of standardised endpoints related to infection and sepsis for perioperative trials using an established and rigorous approach. Each endpoint was evaluated with respect to validity, reliability, feasibility, and patient centredness. One or more of these should be considered for inclusion in future perioperative clinical trials assessing infection, sepsis, or both, thereby permitting synthesis and comparison of future results.