AimTo assess diagnostic value of perioperative procalcitonin (PCT) levels compared to C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in early detection of infectious complications following colorectal surgery.MethodsThis prospective observational study included 79 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. White blood cell count, CRP, and PCT were measured preoperatively and on postoperative days (POD) 1, 2, 3, 5, and patients were followed for postoperative complications. Diagnostic accuracy of CRP and PCT values on each day was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve, with infectious complications as an outcome measure. ROC curves with the largest area under the curve for each inflammatory marker were compared in order to define the marker with higher diagnostic accuracy.ResultsTwenty nine patients (36.7%) developed infectious complications. CRP and PCT concentrations increased in the early postoperative period, with a significant difference between patients with and without complications at all measured postoperative times. ROC curve analysis showed that CRP concentrations on POD 3 and PCT concentrations on POD 2 had similar predictive values for the development of infectious complications (area under the curve, 0.746 and 0.750, respectively) with the best cut-off values of 99.0 mg/L for CRP and 1.34 µg/L for PCT. Diagnostic accuracy of CRP and PCT was highest on POD 5, however the cut-off values were not considered clinically useful.ConclusionSerial postoperative PCT measurements do not offer an advantage over CRP measurements for prediction of infectious complications following colorectal surgery.

In recent years considerable attention has been paid to the treatment of postoperative pain, with regard to the favorable effect of adequate analgesia on patient outcome. Multimodal analgesia (e.g., opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] or local anesthetics) is recommended for effective postoperative pain relief. There are few data on the use of NSAIDs in postoperative pain treatment after abdominal surgery. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of ketoprofen after major abdominal surgery. One and nine hours postoperatively patients received 100 mg of ketoprofen i.v. (n = 21) or placebo (n = 22) in addition to a pain-treatment protocol consisting of continuous infusion of tramadol 200 mg and metamizol 5 g over 24 hours with additional 25 mg i.v. tramadol in case of inadequate analgesia. Pain was assessed by numeric rating scale at rest and at deep breath 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively and the total dose of tramadol used in the first 24 hours was recorded. Patients in the ketoprofen group had significantly lower pain scores both at rest and at deep breath, at 3 (p < 0.01), 6, and 12 hours (p < 0.05) postoperatively. The 24-hour use of tramadol was significantly lower in the ketoprofen group (p < 0.01), with less nausea and vomiting. There were no bleeding complications or other adverse events related to ketoprofen therapy. The study showed the value of short-term use of ketoprofen to improve the quality of analgesia after major abdominal surgery without significant adverse effects.

Tracheal stenosis, a well-known complication of endotracheal intubation and artificial ventilation, is most likely to occur in critically ill patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. Although a rare complication, and despite technological improvements and better patient care in intensive care units, tracheal stenosis still constitutes a serious clinical problem which can also develop after a short period of mechanical ventilation. In this article, we present a very rare case report of a patient who developed a long-segment tracheal stenosis localized at the posterior wall after a relatively short period of endotracheal intubation with a high-volume, low-pressure cuffed endotracheal tube, and a review of the literature.

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