Preoperative WBC count association with a higher risk of postoperative fever in children with congenital heart disease

Objective:
To analyze the risk factors of early postoperative fever in children with congenital heart disease.

Methods:
We collected clinical and laboratory data for patients who underwent congenital heart disease surgery  from January 2013 to December 2015. Patients were divided into two groups:early fever group and non-fever group.

Results:
100 cases of congenital heart disease in children were enrolled in this study. The preoperative white blood cell count (WBC) of the fever group was found to be significantly higher than that of the non-fever group(p=0.01). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, preoperative WBC, and the ratio of preoperative and postoperative WBC were also all significantly correlated with early fever (p<0.05). Further multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that preoperative WBC was the most important risk factor for early fever.

Conclusion:
The preoperative white blood cell count is closely associated with early postoperative fever.

Posted by: Hongjun ba, Dr, Department of pediatric cardiology, Heart Center, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China (26-Jan-2018)