Summary: To establish stable methods for detecting plasma endotoxin level and endotoxin inactivation capacity in a normal population and general surgical patients and evaluate their perioperative changes, 50 healthy people and 50 patients receiving gastrointestinal operation were enrolled, their plasma endotoxin levels and plasma endotoxin inactivation capacity were assayed. Our results showed that plasma endotoxin levels were 0.044±0.009 EU/ml in the normal population and 0.044±0.023 EU/ml in the preoperative patients. Endotoxin level peaked 3 h after the operation (0.223±0.041 EU/ml), and then decreased rapidly on the first day after the operation (0.134±0.164 EU/ml). Endotoxin inactivation capacity also had the same time course as endotoxin level. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome and infection induced another elevation in the time course. It is concluded that establishing the endotoxin standard curve by using pyrogenic free water is better than by using plasma. Plasma endotoxin inactivation capacity can be used as an indirect indicator of postoperative immune depression. Plasma endotoxin level and endotoxin inactivation capacity peaked shortly after operation, indicating surgical stress is closely related with the changes.
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