Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
C-reactive protein: quantitative marker of surgical trauma and post-surgical complications in dogs: a systematic review.
- Journal:
- Acta veterinaria Scandinavica
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Christensen, Michelle B et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Sciences
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a substance that can be measured in dogs and often increases when there is inflammation in the body, such as after surgery or due to infections. This review looked at how CRP can help veterinarians identify if a dog is experiencing complications after surgery or how much trauma the dog has undergone during the procedure. While some studies suggest that CRP is a helpful tool for these purposes, the overall evidence is not strong, and many studies have limitations. More research is needed to better understand how reliable CRP is for detecting inflammation in dogs after surgery.
Abstract
C-reactive protein (CRP) is a major acute phase protein showing increasing serum concentrations in dogs with systemic inflammation following e.g., surgery, trauma, infections, or neoplasia. CRP is a useful diagnostic marker of systemic inflammation in dogs and automated assays have been validated for reliable measurements for routine diagnostic purposes. In the present study available evidence for the use of CRP as a marker of surgery related systemic inflammation in dogs was reviewed and assessed. Two main themes were in focus: (1) canine CRP as a potential marker of postsurgical infectious complications and (2) canine CRP as a marker of the degree of surgical trauma. As outlined in the review several studies suggest that CRP is a useful marker for both purposes. However, the evidence level is limited and studies in the field are all affected by considerable risks of bias. Thus, further studies are needed in order to confirm the assumptions from previous studies and increase the level of evidence for CRP as a useful marker for detecting inflammation after surgery in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26483038/