Pulmonary function testing in preoperative high-risk patients

© 2024. The Author(s)..

BACKGROUND: Postoperative respiratory failure is the most frequent complication in postsurgical patients. The purpose of this study is to assess whether pulmonary function testing in high-risk patients during preoperative assessment detects previously unknown respiratory impairments which may influence patient outcomes.

METHODS: A targeted patient screening by spirometry and the measurement of the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was implemented in the anesthesia department of a tertiary university hospital. Patients of all surgical disciplines who were at least 75 years old or exhibited reduced exercise tolerance with the metabolic equivalent of task less than four (MET < 4) were examined. Clinical characteristics, history of lung diseases, and smoking status were also recorded. The statistical analysis entailed t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression with backward elimination for group comparisons.

RESULTS: Among 256 included patients, 230 fulfilled the test quality criteria. Eighty-one (35.2%) patients presented obstructive ventilatory disorders, out of which 65 were previously unknown. 38 of the newly diagnosed obstructive disorders were mild, 18 moderate, and 9 severe. One hundred forty-five DLCO measurements revealed 40 (27.6%) previously unknown gas exchange impairments; 21 were mild, 17 moderate, and 2 severe. The pulmonary function parameters of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and DLCO were significantly lower than the international reference values of a healthy population. Patients with a lower ASA class and no history of smoking exhibited higher FVC, FEV1, and DLCO values. Reduced exercise tolerance with MET < 4 was strongly associated with lower spirometry values.

CONCLUSIONS: Our screening program detected a relevant number of patients with previously unknown obstructive ventilatory disorders and impaired pulmonary gas exchange. This newly discovered sickness is associated with low metabolic equivalents and may influence perioperative outcomes. Whether optimized management of patients with previously unknown impaired lung function leads to a better outcome should be evaluated in multicenter studies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Registry of Clinical Studies (DRKS00029337), registered on: June 22nd, 2022.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:13

Enthalten in:

Perioperative medicine (London, England) - 13(2024), 1 vom: 05. März, Seite 14

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Eimer, Christine [VerfasserIn]
Urbaniak, Natalia [VerfasserIn]
Dempfle, Astrid [VerfasserIn]
Becher, Tobias [VerfasserIn]
Schädler, Dirk [VerfasserIn]
Weiler, Norbert [VerfasserIn]
Frerichs, Inéz [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Airflow obstruction
DLCO
Intensive care medicine
Journal Article
Patient safety
Postoperative pulmonary complications
Postoperative respiratory failure
Preoperative screening
Pulmonary gas exchange
Spirometry
Targeted screening program

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 07.03.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s13741-024-00368-w

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM369338529