C-reactive protein as a laboratory criterion of the traumaticity of cardiac surgical interventions

The purpose of this study is to determine the possibility of using the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) as a quantitative criterion for injury during open-heart surgery using a cardiopulmonary bypass machine, as well as to evaluate the correlation of CRP and the time of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the time of myocardial ischemia. Material and methods. A prospective nonrandomized cohort study was conducted to determine CRP at 4 stages of inpatient treatment and the correlation of CRP, cardiopulmonary bypass time and myocardial ischemia time was assessed in 108 patients who underwent open-heart surgery. Results. In the postoperative period, the content of CRP in the blood serum of cardiac surgery patients statistically significantly increases after 24 hours, reaching maximum values on the 3rd day after surgery. When analyzing the correlation between the level of CRP 24 hours after surgery, the time of cardiopulmonary bypass and the time of myocardial ischemia, no statistically significant results were obtained. Conclusion. In patients who underwent open-heart surgery using a cardiopulmonary bypass apparatus, an increase in CRP levels was noted from 2.7 (1.2; 5.82) to 174.5 (109.9; 253.3) mg/l after 68–72 hours after surgery. The dynamics of CRP content in patients undergoing cardiac surgery can be considered as a laboratory criterion for the morbidity of surgical intervention. There is no correlation between the level of CRP 24 hours after surgery, the time of cardiopulmonary bypass and the time of myocardial ischemia.