Postoperative pulmonary complication (PPC) remains the most common postoperative complication in patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery. We conducted the clinical study to determine the diagnostic role of miRNA-21 in noncardiac thoracic surgery. 368 patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery were recruited. Blood samples were collected before anesthesia and 2 hours after incision during surgery for RT-PCR measurement of miRNA-21. PPC occurrence, extrapulmonary complications, duration of ICU stay, and death within 1 year were evaluated. The overall rate of PPCs following surgery was 10.32%. A high relative miRNA-21 level was an independent risk factor for PPCs within 7 days (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.25–5.66; andP<0.001). High miRNA-21 was also associated with an increased risk of extrapulmonary complications (OR, 3.62; 95% CI, 2.26–5.81; andP<0.001), prolonged ICU stay (OR, 6.54; 95% CI, 2.26–18.19; andP<0.001), increased death within 30 days (OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 2.11–18.08; andP<0.001), and death within 1 year (OR, 7.30; 95% CI, 2.76–19.28; andP<0.001). In summary, plasma miRNA-21 may serve as a novel biomarker of PPCs for patients undergoing noncardiac thoracic surgery.
The Role of Ultrasound and Air Leak Measurement in Assessing Lung Expansion after Thoracic Surgery
