Pulmonary resections in a tertiary care center—a prospective observational study of outcome

• Published in: Indian journal of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 229 - 233
• Main Authors: Swamyvelu, Krishnamurthy, Challa, Vasu Reddy, Rangappa, Poornima, Yale, Guru Basavanna Goud, Reddy, Madhusudana Bommasandra Ashwatha, Suryadevara, Sailaja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Springer-Verlag 01-12-2012
• Subjects: Cardiac Surgery; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Article; Surgery; Thoracic Surgery; Vascular Surgery; Lung resection; Lung cancer; Pulmonary function tests
• ISSN: 0970-9134; 0973-7723
• DOI: 10.1007/s12055-013-0173-9

Introduction
In order to assess short term outcomes of pulmonary resections in one year, a prospective observational study was made. To assess the predictive factors for postoperative complications.
Subject and methods
Twenty eight patients who underwent pulmonary resections were included in the study prospectively from January 2011 to December 2011 in a single unit in a tertiary care cancer hospital and short term outcomes were analysed.
Results
Twenty patients underwent pulmonary resection for malignant conditions and 8 for benign conditions. Surgeries performed were lobectomy in 9, bilobectomy in 5, pneumonectomy in 3, lobectomy with chest wall excision in 3 and wedge resection in 8 patients. Of 8 patients who underwent wedge resection; 7 were for benign conditions and one for metastatic gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Six patients developed postoperative complications. Two had air leak, one patient had prolonged ICU stay (>1 week), one had pneumonia and 2 had surgical site infection. Pulmonary complications occurred in 2 patients, both had Diffusing Capacity of the Lung for Carbon Monoxide (DLCO) <80 %; one had pneumonia and the other was on mechanical ventilation for 48 hours and ICU for 9 days. Four of the patients who developed complication had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 3 and two of them who developed complication had ECOG performance status of two.
Conclusion
DLCO is an important predictor for postoperative complication apart from performance status, pulmonary function tests, smoking and diabetes mellitus.