Released PMN elastase: an indicator of postsurgical uneventful wound healing and early inflammatory complications. A contribution to the search for objective criteria in wound healing monitoring.

Monitoring of postoperative wound healing is important for the early diagnosis of postoperative infective complications in order to decrease morbidity. The purpose of this study was to search for a discriminatory time point between uneventful wound healing and early wound infections after operations for orthopaedic trauma using PMN elastase. This proteolytic enzyme is a biochemical marker for pathological granulocyte stimulation. The two groups of injured patients comprised persons with 'per priman' (pp) wound healing without complications--group 1 (N = 31)--and the early manifestation of a bacterial wound infection 'per secundam' (ps) during the healing phase--group 2 (N = 4). In group 1, surgical trauma was accompanied by an increase in PMN elastase levels reaching the maximum within the first 3 postoperative days; values returned to normal on day 10. In group 2 PMN elastase median levels showed recurring increases throughout. No normal values were observed. There was a highly significant difference (P < 0.01) on days 4 and 5 in group 2 compared with the control group 1. Since PMN elastase can be determined on an autoanalyser, and the enzyme is of proven discriminatory value, it is suggested that this marker should become part of the daily diagnostic routine in the care of the injured.