Plasma levels of alarmin HNPs 1-3 associate with lung dysfunction after cardiac surgery in children

Early onset of lung injury is considerable common after cardiac surgery and is associated with increasing in morbidity and mortality, but current clinical predictors for the occurrence of this complication always have limited positive warning value. This study aimed to evaluate whether elevated plasma levels of human neutrophil peptides (HNPs) 1-3 herald impaired lung function in infants and young children after cardiac surgery necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Consecutive children younger than 3 years old who underwent cardiac surgery were prospectively enrolled. Plasma concentrations of HNPs 1-3 and inflammatory cytokines were measured before, and immediately after CPB, as well as at 1 h, 12 h, and 24 h after CPB. Thirty patients were enrolled, 18 (60%) of whom were infants. Plasma levels of HNPs 1-3 and the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) significantly increased immediately after CPB (P