Association between Preoperative C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio and Mortality after Plastic and Reconstructive...

Area of Science:

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Inflammatory Markers

Background:

• Prognostic markers are understudied in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
• Preoperative inflammatory markers may predict patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate the prognostic value of the C-reactive protein (CRP)-to-albumin ratio (CAR).
• Compare CAR with neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 2519 patients undergoing plastic and reconstructive surgery (Jan 2011-July 2019).
• Utilized receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to determine CAR threshold.
• Assessed one-year and overall mortality rates.

Main Results:

• CAR demonstrated superior predictive ability (AUC=0.803) compared to NLR, PLR, and mGPS.
• High CAR (threshold 1.05) was significantly associated with increased one-year mortality (10.9% vs 1.3%).
• Hazard ratio for mortality in high CAR group was 2.88 (95% CI, 2.17-3.83; p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• High preoperative CAR is a significant predictor of one-year mortality in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
• CAR offers a valuable prognostic tool in this patient population.
• Further research into prognostic markers in plastic surgery is warranted.