[C-reactive protein in the recognition of postoperative infectious complications]

The postoperative levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) of 384 patients were studied prospectively. Infectious complications occurred in 50 patients. 92% of these patients showed a postoperative CRP increase. The CRP increase could be detected in 67.5% prior to the clinical signs of the septic complication, whereas 32.5% of the patients showed the CRP increase at the time of clinical symptoms. In 8 patients with rising CRP levels no septic focus could be detected. CRP seems to be a helpful parameter in the postoperative management especially in the early diagnosis of septic complications whereas the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and white blood cell count, which were detected simultaneously to CRP, lack reliability concerning early detection of postoperative complications.