Abstract:

Objective: We aimed to determine whether serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels measured after cesarean section were superior to the levels of other infection markers in the early diagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI). Material and Methods: The present study was conducted with consecutive 249 patients who underwent elective primary cesarean delivery in our obstetrics clinic of a Private Hospital between November 2018 and April 2019. Measurements of serum PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP) and white blood cell (WBC) counts were performed at the postoperative 6th, 12thand 24th hours. The participating patients were examined for SSI on the postoperative 2nd,4h and 7th days. Results: Of the participants, 15 (6%) developed surgical site infections, PCT was the most sensitive and specific marker of the SSI. Area under the curve (AUC) for PCT in predicting the SSI was 0.912 (95% CI: 0.79-1) and cutoff point was 0.099 ng/ml with a sensitivity of 93.3%, and specificity of 92.3% (p<0.001). Area under the curve (AUC) for CRP in predicting the SSI was 0.854 (95% CI: 0.782 - 0.926) and cutoff point was 16.95 mg/dL with a sensitivity of 80%, and specificity of 82.4%. Area under the curve (AUC) for WBC in predicting the SSI was 0.819 (95% CI: 0.708-0.931) and cutoff point was 18.8 x 109/L with a sensitivity of 73.3%, and specificity of 83.0%. Conclusion: Serum PCT levels were found to be a more sensitive and specific marker in the early diagnosis of SSI after cesarean section than were the other conventional infection markers.

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