The effect of different anesthesia applications on serum Pentraxin-3 levels: a randomized prospective study

Objective: Pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a biomarker shown to correlate with the severity of infections. It is a good indicator of mortality and is useful in monitoring treatment success. However, there is inadequate information about the factors affecting PTX3 levels. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different anaesthesia types on serum PTX3 levels. Materials/Patients and Methods: Serum PTX3 levels were obtained from patients who were under general anaesthesia (GA) and spinal anaesthesia (SA) for a caesarean section (C-section). Blood Samples were collected preoperatively at 6 h and 24 h postoperatively. Biomarkers such as C-reactive protein, white blood cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes were also assessed as biomarkers. Results: No difference was found in the preoperative serum PTX3 levels among the participants (p > 0.05). A significant increase was observed when the preoperative PTX3 levels (0.16 ng/mL) were compared with the postoperative levels at 6 h (0.25 ng/mL) and 24 h (0.54 ng/mL) in the GA group. No significant change was found in the PTX3 levels at 0–6–24 h measurements in the SA group. Nevertheless, the GA group was found to be significantly higher than the SA group at 6 h and 24 h postoperatively (p < 0.05). Additionally, No correlation was observed between PTX3 levels and other biomarkers. Conclusions: This study showed that when coupled with C-section, GA increased the PTX3 levels postoperatively compared with the PTX3 levels during the preoperative period. No significant change was observed with SA. The PTX-3 levels should be considered to increase in association with GA in suspected infectious and inflammatory cases. Therefore, regional anaesthesia should be preferred.