Postoperative pulmonary complications contribute to significant morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. The surgical patient with underlying pulmonary disease experiences a higher risk for postoperative pulmonary complications. Evaluation of the patient with pulmonary disease prior to surgery allows for the early identification of risk factors and opportunity for optimization resulting in improved perioperative outcomes for all surgical procedures. Complete understanding of the anesthetic options and their effect on pulmonary physiology and postoperative pulmonary complications assists in the evaluation and management of the patient with pulmonary disease. The patient-related risk factors, procedure-related risk factors, and risk factor stratification must be evaluated and performed while taking into consideration the risk and type of surgery. A thorough preoperative evaluation of the patient with pulmonary disease allows for the rational development of a multidisciplinary perioperative plan with the goal of reducing postoperative pulmonary complications.
This review contains 5 figures, 7 tables, and 48 references.
Keywords: assessment of perioperative risk, asthma, bronchitis, cessation of smoking, COPD, emphysema, obstructive sleep apnea, perioperative smoking, Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs), nitrogen washout
Risk factors of postoperative pulmonary complications after minimally invasive anatomic resection for lung cancer
