[Postoperative complications and mortality; results of skin tests in delayed hypersensitivity]

In 221 patients the test of cutaneous delayed hypersensitivity was done before the operation and 4 days after it, using 3 antigens: tuberculin, distreptase and phytohaemagglutinin. The patients were divided into three groups: I control (109) subjected to minor and moderately serious operations, and study group (II) with peritonitis (IIa 40 cases), digestive tract cancer (IIb 65 cases) and digestive tract diseases (IIc 7 cases). The study showed that in cases with preoperative anergy to antigens the operations were followed significantly more frequently by serious septic complications and mortality from these complications was much higher. No patients with preoperatively normal responses to the antigens died after the operations. The test makes possible preoperative detection of high surgical risk connected with infection, and early treatment reducing postoperative mortality.