S100B and cardiac surgery: Possibilities and limitations

Issue title: Molecular Markers of Brain Damage – Current State and Future Perspectives

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Jönsson, Henrik

Affiliations: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University Hospital Lund, SE-221 85 Lund, Sweden. Tel.: +46 46 17 16 85; Fax: +46 46 15 86 35; E-mail: henrik.jonsson@thorax.lu.se

Abstract: Serum determinations of the glial protein S100B has been found to correlate with brain damage after cardiac surgery. Forty-eight hours and later after surgery, increased S100B levels correlates with the presence of brain infarction, and the extent of infracted brain tissue. S100B at this time-point has been shown to predict long-term outcome, higher S100B levels correlated with decreased survival. Early levels (2–8 hours after surgery) of S100B have shown disparate results when trying to correlate it with postoperative cognitive decline. One reason for the lack of strong correlation could be the contamination of S100B from shed blood the first hours after surgery.

Journal: Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, vol. 21, no. 3-4, pp. 151-157, 2003