Twenty-eight patients with alimentary tract carcinoma who underwent elective gastrointestinal surgery were enrolled in this study. The correlation between the serum HMGB-1 levels and the postoperative clinical course were evaluated.
Serum HMGB-1 concentrations in patients who underwent surgery for gastrointestinal cancer increased gradually during postoperative days, and reached peak concentrations on postoperative day 3 (POD3). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the serum HMGB-1 levels on POD3 or POD5 and the duration of SIRS (r = 0.68, P < 0.001, r = 0.45, P < 0.05, respectively). A significantly positive correlation was found between the serum HMGB-1 levels on POD3 or POD5 and the heart rates on POD3 or POD5. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between the serum HMGB-1 levels and PaO2/FiO2 ratio on POD3.
Serum HMGB-1 levels increase after major gastrointestinal surgery, and the serum peak HMGB-1 levels correlate with the duration of SIRS and postoperative pulmonary dysfunction.