The value of C-reactive protein for postoperative monitoring of lower limb arthroplasty.

Objectives: Determination of the utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels when measured 21 days after hip and knee arthroplasties for early diagnosis of infectious complications.

Method: This study was performed in two parts: establishment of a reference curve by measurement of CRP levels once a week in a cohort of 94 patients (50 total hip arthroplasties and 44 total or unicondylar knee arthroplasties); study of the diagnostic value of two different CRP cut-offs (25mg/l, the mean CRP level and two standard deviations; 18 mg/l, mean and one standard deviation) at D21 postoperative in a population of 48 patients, of whom 12 presented septic complications (four surgical site infections [SSIs] and eight intercurrent infections).

Results: We observed very high interindividual variations in CRP values two weeks after arthroplasty.

Post-transcriptional modification of serum creatine kinase in infected intensive care patients.

Low creatine kinase (CK) activities in serum are associated with high fatality rates in intensive care patients. The underlying mechanisms for this phenomenon were investigated. No correlation was found with other biochemical markers of inflammation (CRP, alpha-1 acid glycoprotein, alpha-2 macroglobulin).