Furthermore, by adjusting for confounding factors, our data suggests the CRP levels in Q4 (maximum up to day‐3 CRP > 200 mg.l‐1) reflect a level of persisting systemic inflammation (hyperinflammation and immunosuppression) and associated complications (sepsis, surgical site infection, pneumonia, anastomotic leak, acute kidney injury), which may be increasingly mediating a poor quality of recovery, persistent disability or death (Fig. 1). The gene discussed is CRP; the disease is pneumonia.