Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein as an Early Predictor of Infection in Elective Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery-a Prospective Observational Study

Background Postoperative infections are a common entity following elective gastrointestinal surgery among which intra-abdominal infection is notorious and life threatening. Early detection could reduce postoperative morbidity and permit safe and early discharge. This study was aimed to establish the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) on postoperative day 3 as reliable markers for early detection of intra-abdominal infection and other postoperative infections following elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery. Methods A total of 125 patients following elective gastrointestinal cancer surgery were prospectively observed until discharge from January 2018 to December 2019. The incidence of intra-abdominal infections and other postoperative infections was recorded. Serum PCT and CRP were estimated on postoperative day 3 for all the patients. ROC analysis of PCT and CRP was performed to establish their predictability in detecting these infections. Risk factors for postoperative infections were also studied. Results The incidence of intra-abdominal infection (IAI) was 24%. The difference in PCT between the infected and non-infected patients was statistically significant (p = 0.001) but not in CRP (p = 0.223). On ROC analysis of CRP and PCT in detecting IAI, the areas under the curve were 0.494 and 0.615 respectively. Conclusion Raised serum PCT values on postoperative day 3 indicate the presence of infections and should prompt the surgeon to consider other investigations to confirm the presence of IAI and other postoperative infections and plan early intervention thus expediting the postoperative recovery.