Prealbumin as a Serum Biomarker of Impaired Perioperative Nutritional Status and Risk for XXXX after Spine Surgery.

@entity1 @entity281 @entity86 @entity3147
UNASSIGNED: Introduction   Impaired perioperative nutritional status has been shown to be an important predictor of surgical morbidity and is the earliest marker of @entity3147 . No study, however, has examined serum prealbumin as a surrogate marker of nutritional status in @entity1 undergoing spine surgery. Methods   We performed a retrospective review of all @entity1 who developed a @entity86 wound @entity281 after undergoing spine surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center from January 2008 through December 2011. Demographics, preoperative diagnosis, type of surgery, perioperative serum prealbumin level, time to @entity281 , number and type of debridement procedures, and length of hospital stay were recorded. Results   A total of 83 @entity1 had prealbumin levels available at the time of presentation of @entity281 . Mean @entity1 age was 56 years, and 71% were @entity1 . Surgical treatment for the @entity281 required between 1 and 13 debridements, and 21 (25%) of the 83 @entity1 who had instrumentation placed at the time of the initial surgery required removal of their instrumentation. Inpatient hospitalizations were extended by an average of 13 days. Prealbumin levels were below normal in 82 (99%) of the 83 @entity1 ; levels were   <   7 mg/dL in 24 @entity1 , between 7 and 11 mg/dL in 32 @entity1 , and between 11 and 19 mg/dL in 26 @entity1 . Conclusions   All @entity1 except one who developed @entity86 wound @entity281 after spine surgery had serum prealbumin levels in the @entity3147 range at the time of presentation. The current study suggests serum prealbumin levels may be an inexpensive screening biomarker for nutritional status and risk stratification for @entity86 after spine surgery.
