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The Utility of Urine Desmosine as a Marker of Lung Injury in Spine Surgery

  • Original Article
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HSS Journal

Abstract

The objective of this prospective observational study was to determine if urine desmosine levels, a marker of lung injury, increase in response to the periopreative insults of anterior and posterior spine surgery. Desmosine, a stable breakdown product of elastin, has been proposed as a surrogate marker of lung injury in patients with COPD, tobacco use, and ARDS. We recently evaluated this marker in patients undergoing knee surgery, but the utility of desmosine as a marker of lung injury in patients undergoing spine surgery remains unstudied. In this study, we enrolled ten consecutive patients, who underwent anterior/posterior spine surgery. Patient demographics and perioperative data were recorded. Urine samples were collected at baseline, 1 day, and 3 days postoperatively and analyzed for levels of desmosine using a previously validated radioimmunoassay. Desmosine levels were 35.9 ± 18.2 pmol/mg creatinine at baseline, 38.7 ± 11 pmol/mg creatinine on postoperative day 1, and 70.5 ± 49.1 pmol/mg creatinine on postoperative day 3, respectively. Desmosine/creatinine ratios measured on day 3 postoperatively were significantly elevated compared to levels at baseline, and represented a 96.3% increase. No difference was seen between levels at baseline and day 1 postoperatively. In conclusion, we were able to show a significant increase in urine desmosine levels associated with anterior/posterior spine surgery. In the context of previous studies, our findings suggest that desmosine may be a marker of lung injury in this setting. However, further research is warranted for validation and correlation of desmosine levels to clinical markers and various degrees of lung injury.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Stavros G. Memtsoudis MD, PhD, Valeria Buschiazzo & Michael K. Urban MD, PhD

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Federico P. Girardi MD

  3. Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Center, Tyler, TX, USA

    Barry Starcher PhD

  4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Yan Ma PhD

  5. Weill Cornell College of Cornell University, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Stavros G. Memtsoudis MD, PhD, Yan Ma PhD, Michael K. Urban MD, PhD & Federico P. Girardi MD

Authors
  1. Stavros G. Memtsoudis MD, PhD
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  2. Barry Starcher PhD
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  3. Yan Ma PhD
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  4. Valeria Buschiazzo
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  5. Michael K. Urban MD, PhD
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  6. Federico P. Girardi MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stavros G. Memtsoudis MD, PhD.

Additional information

Each author certifies that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, and patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article. This study was performed with funds from the Hospital for Special Surgery Anesthesiology Young Investigator Award (provided to S. Memtsoudis) by the Department of Anesthesiology at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Each author certifies that his or her institution has approved the reporting of these cases, that all investigations were conducted in conformity with ethical principles of research, and that informed consent for participating in the study was obtained.

Level of Evidence:

Level III. Prognostic study

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Memtsoudis, S.G., Starcher, B., Ma, Y. et al. The Utility of Urine Desmosine as a Marker of Lung Injury in Spine Surgery. HSS Jrnl 6, 160–163 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-010-9158-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11420-010-9158-z

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