Effects of surgery on neutrophil granulocyte function.

The high incidence of postoperative infections raises the possibility of a reduced defense to infection during this period. For this reason, neutrophil function and enzyme activity were investigated after surgical trauma. The microbicidal ability of neutrophils was markedly impaired within 2 h of elective abdominal hysterectomy, but phagocytosis was unaffected. Loss of microbicidal activity was associated with loss of the lysosomal enzyme myeloperoxidase. It is suggested that these changes are due to activation and partial degranulation of circulating neutrophils. Defective microbial killing by individual cells should be compensated by an accompanying rise in the number of circulating neutrophils.