Postoperative Albumin Drop Is a Marker for Surgical Stress and a Predictor for Clinical Outcome: A Pilot Study

Figure 1

Acute inflammatory response after abdominal surgery as reflected by albumin and CRP kinetics. C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin were measured preoperatively (pre-OP), 6 hours after surgery, and on postoperative days (POD) 1–5. CRP levels peaked (CRP Δ max) on POD 2 (a), while minimal albumin levels (Alb Δ min) were measured already 6 hours after surgery (b).

(a) C-reactive protein

(b) Albumin