Renal and liver function tests in surgical septicemia

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Abstract
The prognostic value of conventional renal and liver function tests was evaluated during surgical septicemia. Changes in renal function variables were associated with the development of septic shock. Creatinine clearance was the most sensitive variable in predicting the outcome of septic shock, but serum creatinine and urine output values, as well as significantly higher serum creatinine concentrations, were thus observed during septic shock with fatal outcome compared to non-fatal septic shock. In septicemia not complicated with shock, the variables of renal function remained in the normal range irrespective of final outcome. Among the liver function tests, serum albumin and total protein concentration revealed significant differences in behaviour between survivors and patients dying with persistent septicemia. However, due to the small differences and considerable overlap observed between the two groups of patients during the first 2 weeks of septicemia, these two variables are of limited practical value as prognostic predictors. The other liver function tests gave no information as regards the outcome of septicemia in the present study.