Is preoperative serum albumin enough to ensure nutritional status in the development of surgical site infection following gastrointestinal surgery?

摘要

We have read with great interest the article "Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is an independent risk factor for the development of surgical site infection following gastrointestinal surgery: A multi-institutional study" published in the August 2010 issue of "Annals of Surgery." To date, relatively few studies examining the influence of the nutritional status of patients on the development of surgical site infection (SSI) exist. From our perspective, the manuscript can be merited with further underlining the relevance of preoperative serum albumin on the development of SSI. We are grateful to the authors for their effort. However, deeper analysis of the study brings to light questions that need clarifications to better determine this relationship.