Background
Pre-operative antibody levels have been shown to be inversely related to development of post-operative complications. Staphylococcal infection is a major source of morbidity following surgery.
Conclusions
The relationship between pre-surgery staphylococcal antibody levels and outcome warrants further investigation.
Methods
We examined the variability of anti-staphylococcal antibody levels across a group of healthy volunteers and compared this with patients scheduled to undergo cardiac surgery.
Results
Pre-operative cardiac surgical patients exhibited significantly higher levels of staphylococcal antibodies compared with healthy volunteers. Conclusions: The relationship between pre-surgery staphylococcal antibody levels and outcome warrants further investigation.