NEUTROPHIL FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH POSTSURGERY INFECTIOUS SEPTIC COMPLICATIONS

Dysfunction of the neutrophils is associated with various infectious processes, particularly, with sepsis and other postsurgical bacterial complications. Quantitative evaluation of the neutrophil function is a promising approach for early diagnosis of infectious and septic complications in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between functional parameters of neutrophils (CD64 expression and oxidative metabolism) and standard clinical and laboratory markers of inflammation in patients who underwent large intestine resections. We assessed 49 patients with III – IV stage colorectal cancers; we evaluated lactate and C-reactive protein levels, assessed sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score and performed bacteriological investigation. CD64 expression was determined by means of flow cytometry; oxidative metabolism was studied by means of chemiluminescent (CL) analysis with double-step activation followed by automatic signal deconvolution. We revealed association between complications and the increase of CD64 expression, as well as increase of luminol-dependent intracellular CL light sum and decrease of the lucigenin-dependent intracellular CL intensity. The progression of sepsis-associated multiple organ failure is also associated with increase of CD64 expression; strong significant correlation between the lactate level and CD64 expression has been shown. The prognostic index of luminol-dependent CL significantly increases only in critical organ dysfunction, while CD64 is more sensitive to multi-organ failure progression.

sepsis, inflammatory post-surgery complications, neutrophils, CD64, chemiluminescence, luminol, lucigenin, biomarkers