Background

Postoperative pulmonary complications is a major issue that affects outcomes of surgical patients. The hypothesis was that the intraoperative ventilation parameters are associated with occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications.

Methods

A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Lille University Hospital, France. The study included 33,701 adults undergoing noncardiac, nonthoracic elective surgery requiring general anesthesia with tracheal intubation between January 2010 and December 2019. Intraoperative ventilation parameters were compared between patients with and without one or more postoperative pulmonary complications (respiratory infection, respiratory failure, pleural effusion, atelectasis, pneumothorax, bronchospasm, and aspiration pneumonitis) within 7 days of surgery.

Results

Among 33,701 patients, 2,033 (6.0%) had one or more postoperative pulmonary complications. The lower tidal volume to predicted body weight ratio (odds ratio per −1 ml·kgPBW−1, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.14; P < 0.001), higher mechanical power (odds ratio per 4 J·min−1, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.26 to 1.49; P < 0.001), dynamic respiratory system compliance less than 30 ml·cm H2O (1.30; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.46; P < 0.001), oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry less than 96% (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% CI, 1.97 to 2.96; P < 0.001), and lower end-tidal carbon dioxide (odds ratio per –3 mmHg, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.13; P = 0.023) were independently associated with postoperative pulmonary complications. Patients with postoperative pulmonary complications were more likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit (odds ratio, 12.5; 95% CI, 6.6 to 10.1; P < 0.001), had longer hospital length of stay (subhazard ratio, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.45), and higher in-hospital (subhazard ratio, 6.0; 95% CI, 4.1 to 9.0; P < 0.001) and 1-yr mortality (subhazard ratio, 2.65; 95% CI, 2.33 to 3.02; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

In the study’s population, decreased rather than increased tidal volume, decreased compliance, increased mechanical power, and decreased end-tidal carbon dioxide were independently associated with postoperative pulmonary complications.

Editor’s Perspective
What We Already Know about This Topic
  • It is believed that intraoperative ventilation using low tidal volumes, positive end-expiratory pressure, and alveolar recruitment is protective against postoperative pulmonary complications
  • It is an open question as to whether the important driver of postoperative pulmonary complications is the intraoperative high driving pressure and the mechanical power required for ventilation—rather than excessive tidal volume per se
What This Article Tells Us That Is New
  • In this large observational study, low tidal volume, low compliance, low end-tidal carbon dioxide, and also increased power required for intraoperative ventilation were independent risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications
  • These data suggest that the energy applied to the lungs during intraoperative ventilation may have a role in the subsequent development of lung damage