Kinetics of plasma biomarkers of inflammation and lung injury in surgical patients with or without postoperative pulmonary complications.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are common after major abdominal surgery. The kinetics of plasma biomarkers could improve identification of patients developing PPCs, but the kinetics may depend on intraoperative ventilator settings. OBJECTIVE: To test whether the kinetics of plasma biomarkers are capable of identifying patients who will develop PPCs, and whether the kinetics depend on the intraoperative level of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). DESIGN: A preplanned substudy of a randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Operation room of five centres. PATIENTS: Two hundred and forty-two adult patients scheduled for abdominal surgery at risk of developing PPCs. INTERVENTIONS: High (12 cmH2O) versus low (

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