Clinical evaluation of platelet-to-albumin ratio as a predictor of surgical site infection in pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis.

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored the predictive factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in a pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) population.

Methods: Data from 35 patients with UC who underwent surgery before 15 years at Mie University Hospital between January 2000 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Potential preoperative and intraoperative predictors of SSI, including various demographic and clinical variables, were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression analysis. The optimal cutoff value for the variables was determined by examining the receiver operating characteristic curve.

Results: Of the 35 patients, 8 (22.9%) experienced SSI. The platelet-to-albumin ratio (PAR) is a more accurate predictor of SSI occurrence than the serum albumin level, platelet count, or C-reactive protein level. The sensitivity and specificity of PAR were 75.0% and 77.8%, respectively, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.782 (p = 0.018). A multivariable analysis revealed that preoperative PAR was the only significant independent predictor (cutoff value: 115,000, p = 0.047) when the optimal cutoff value was applied rather than the median value.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated the value of the preoperative PAR in the management of pediatric patients with UC. Assessing the patient's PAR before surgery allows proactive treatment to reduce the risk of SSI.