This systematic review on C-reactive protein (CRP) was performed with the purpose to identify its predictive value in the prognosis/diagnosis of infection in surgical patients. The sources used in the search were: COCHRANE, EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE and OVID, and bibliographic references of the located studies. All studies found increased CRP levels after surgery in cases of postoperative infection (PO), in eight studies a CRP peak between the second and third PO was reported as normal aspect of the CRP curve, reducing in patients without postoperative complications and increasing in patients with complications. The meta-analysis revealed an average of 85% (sensitivity), 86% (specificity), the area under the SROC curve was 0.9060, and the Odds Ratio was 23.56. Along with other clinical interventions, CRP is considerably valuable in the prognosis/diagnosis of postoperative infections.
C-reactive protein; Postoperative period; Surgical wound infection; Review
