C-Reactive Protein as a Diagnostic Tool for Infectious Complications and Esophagojejunal Anastomotic Leakage after Gastrectomy

Introduction. The tendency to the wide implementation of the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol in the clinical practice leads to the increased requirement in surgical safety that can be provided with the possible earliest detection of postoperative complications and appropriate treatment. This requirement is the most acute in gastric cancer surgery, where despite the improvement of surgical techniques and complex treatment approach the rate of postoperative complications and esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage (EAL) is still high, making up 27% and 10%, respectively. The measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration in blood plasma is the simplest, most accessible and reliable method to detect infectious complications. However, CRP concentrations, which may indicate the development of postoperative complications, differ significantly in different studies.The aim of the study was to specify the role of CRP as a predictive biomarker for infectious complications and esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage.Materials and methods. This retrospective study included immediate outcomes of the planned radical gastrectomy in 130 patients. The CRP level was assessed depending on the complication type in the immediate postoperative period. Correlation between CRP levels and the incidence of postoperative infectious complications was analyzed. The severity grade of postoperative complications was registered according to the modified Clavien-Dindo classification. The statistical analysis was performed using parametrical and non-parametrical methods. The optimal cut-off CRP for infectious complications and anastomotic leakage was defined with the use of the ROC analysis. The multifactorial ANOVA was performed to detect the effect of contributing factors on the CRP level.Results. An increase in CRP levels over 100 mg/L on the fourth day after surgery can be considered as a manifestation of infectious complications (AUC 0,866 0,042, 95% CI: 0,798-0,934, p 0,001), and an increase in CRP levels over 167 mg/L on the fifth day is a predictor of the development of EAL (AUC 0,869 0,081, 95% CI: 0,711-1,000, p = 0,001). Initial malnutrition and aggravated somatic status appear to be risk factors for the development of infectious complications (p 0,001).Conclusion. Therefore, despite its low specificity, CRP is a sensitive marker of postoperative infectious complications starting from the first days of the postoperative period. Evaluation of the CRP concentration in dynamics allows identifying postoperative complications before the development of clinical manifestations.

Risk factors for esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage in curative total gastrectomy combined with D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Background: This study aimed to explore the risk factors associated with esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage (EJAL) in curative total gastrectomy combined with D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer.Methods: 390 consecutive patients receiving Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy reconstruction after surgery were reviewed. Multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model to identify independent risk factors for EJAL.Results: Of the 390 patients enrolled in this study, EJAL occurred in 10 patients (2.6%). One patient (1/10) with EJAL died. Univariate analysis identified age (P = 0.025), alcohol consumption (P = 0.019), pulmonary insufficiency (P = 0.049), and intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.015) as risk factors for EJAL. Of these four risk factors, age (P = 0.043) and alcohol consumption (P = 0.043) were retained as independent risk factors by multivariate analysis.Conclusions: Surgeons should be very careful about anastomotic leakage during the perioperative period, especially in patients with advanced age and a history of alcohol consumption. Pulmonary insufficiency and intraoperative blood loss, although not being identified as independent risk factors, should also be considered.

Risk factors for esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage in curative total gastrectomy combined with D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Background This study aimed to explore the risk factors associated with esophagojejunal anastomotic leakage (EJAL) in curative total gastrectomy combined with D2 lymph node dissection for gastric cancer. Methods Consecutive patients receiving Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy reconstruction after surgery were reviewed. Multivariate analysis was performed using a logistic regression model to identify independent risk factors for EJAL. Results Of the 390 patients enrolled in this study, EJAL occurred in 10 patients (2.6%). One patient (1/10) with EJAL died. Univariate analysis identified age ( P = 0.025), alcohol consumption ( P = 0.019), pulmonary insufficiency ( P = 0.049), and intraoperative blood loss ( P = 0.015) as risk factors for EJAL. Of these four risk factors, age ( P = 0.043) and alcohol consumption ( P = 0.043) were retained as independent risk factors by multivariate analysis. Conclusions Surgeons should be very careful about anastomotic leakage during the perioperative period, especially in patients with advanced age and a history of alcohol consumption. Pulmonary insufficiency and intraoperative blood loss, although not being identified as independent risk factors, should also be considered.