Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Objective: Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is a common side effect of abdominal surgery. This study looked at procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as potential early markers for the diagnosis of postoperative HAP after abdominal surgery. Methodology: This study involved 100 patients who underwent abdominal surgery. White blood cell counts, the highest body temperature ever recorded, serum levels of CRP and PCT, and every day up until postoperative day (POD) 5 were recorded. Chest radiography was performed both before surgery and every day subsequently up to POD 5. Results: HAP was reported to be present in 14% of the patients. Patients with HAP reported significantly greater levels of CRP and PCT compared to those without HAP in the biomarkers assessed after POD 1. (P 0.05). In POD 2, PCT outperformed CPR in terms of sensitivity and specificity (84% and 72% compared to 70% and 60%, respectively). PCT had a threshold of 1.4 ng/ml on POD 2.On POD 3, 4, and 5, the sensitivity and specificity of PCT and CRP were comparable. Conclusion: PCT and CRP are trustworthy indicators for predicting early postoperative HAP following abdominal surgery. Diagnoses on POD 2 were substantially more accurate with PCT than CRP. After POD 2, there was no discernible difference in the biomarkers' capacity to make a diagnosis.