Relationship between preoperative serum rapid turnover proteins and early-stage surgical wound infection after spine surgery.

PURPOSE: Malnutrition is one of the important risk factors for postoperative complications. Transferrin, prealbumin, and retinol-binding protein, so-called rapid turnover proteins (RTPs), may be the better indicators for early detection of nutritional deficits. However, few studies have described the impact of serum RTP levels on postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) in spine surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between preoperative serum RTPs and postoperative SSI.
METHODS: The data of 105 patients (64 male, 41 female; average age 64.4 years; age range 20-88 years) who underwent spine surgery in a single institution between 2014 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Preoperative total lymphocyte count, serum albumin, transferrin, prealbumin, retinol-binding protein, pre-and postopeartive C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell count (WBC), and total lymphocyte count were evaluated. Postoperative CRP, WBC, and total lymphocyte count were repeated two or three times/week until hospital discharge. A broad spectrum penicillin or second generation cephalosporin was administered as a prophylactic antibiotic to each patient. When repeated CRP elevation or lymphopenia (no more than 10% or 1000/μL) after postoperative day 3 or 4 was observed, possible SSI was diagnosed. Variables between possible SSI group and non-SSI group were compared using Mann-Whitney U or Chi square test. All variables on univariate analysis were included in multiple logistic regression analysis to identify risk factors for possible postoperative SSI.
RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were diagnosed with possible SSI. The mean operative time of possible SSI group was significantly longer (p = 0.036), preoperative total lymphocyte count and serum prealbumin level of possible SSI group were significantly lower (p = 0.002, p = 0.048, respectively) than that of non-SSI group. On univariate analysis, operative time (p = 0.012), preoperative total lymphocyte count (p = 0.041), serum albumin level (p = 0.038), and serum prealbumin level (p = 0.044) were significant contributors to possible SSI, and multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that operative time was the significant contributor to possible SSI (odds ratio 1.008, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.001-1.015, p = 0.024).
CONCLUSIONS: A low prealbumin level is a possible risk factor for early-stage SSI in spine surgery, though it was not statistically significant; operative time was the most important indicator of SSI on multivariate analysis.