Gene polymorphysm of the principal pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, namely that of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-8 a IL-10, can influence the course of the physiological tissue reaction to operation trauma. Recent clinical studies try to confirm that the patient’s phenotype significantly determines both the intensity of post-surgical tissue response and the incidence of postsurgical complications and therefore it represents an independent prognostic factor of the postsurgical development. It appears that the impact of individual genetic variants can differ in the relation to the seriousness of the posttraumatic SIRS and in the relation to the danger and prognosis of the sepsis. For clinicians, such findings can be soon transformed into the estimation of perisurgical risks – including genome profile of markers critical for the inflammatory, thrombotic, vascular and neurological response to post-surgical stress.

        Key words: tumor necrotising factor-α, gene polymorphysm, interleukin 6, postoperative sepsis.