Postoperative Pulmonary Complications
Authors: Sarah Jane Ramsay
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters17 September 2002Postoperative Pulmonary ComplicationsSarah Jane Ramsay, BSc, MBBSSarah Jane Ramsay, BSc, MBBSChinese University of Hong Kong; Shatin, New Territories, Hong KongSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-6-200209170-00032 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Arozullah and colleagues (1) describe the development of a multifactorial risk index for the prediction of postoperative pneumonia. The accompanying editorial by Lawrence (2) discusses the authors' decision to use a homogeneous outcome variable (postoperative pneumonia), in contrast to previous studies that used less clearly defined postoperative pulmonary complications as outcome measures. I take issue with the description of hypoxemia as a postoperative complication of “little clinical significance.”Eichhorn (3) has reviewed the importance of late desaturation and hypoxemia. There are two recognized patterns: persistent hypoxemia, which is related to preoperative respiratory function, and episodic nocturnal hypoxemia, ...References1. Arozullah AM, Khuri SF, Henderson WG, Daley J. Development and validation of a multifactorial risk index for predicting postoperative pneumonia after major noncardiac surgery. Ann Intern Med. 2001;135:847-57. [PMID: 11712875] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Lawrence VA. Predicting postoperative pulmonary complications: the sleeping giant stirs [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2001;135:919-21. [PMID: 11712882] LinkGoogle Scholar3. Eichhorn JH. Pulse oximetry monitoring and late postoperative hypoxemia on the general care floor. J Clin Monit Comput. 1998;14:49-55. [PMID: 9641856] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Greif R, Akça O, Horn EP, Kurz A, Sessler DI. Supplemental perioperative oxygen to reduce the incidence of surgical-wound infection. Outcomes Research Group. N Engl J Med. 2000;342:161-7. [PMID: 10639541] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Greif R, Laciny S, Rapf B, Hickle RS, Sessler DI. Supplemental oxygen reduces the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anesthesiology. 1999;91:1246-52. [PMID: 10551573] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Sarah Jane Ramsay, BSc, MBBSAffiliations: Chinese University of Hong Kong; Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoDevelopment and Validation of a Multifactorial Risk Index for Predicting Postoperative Pneumonia after Major Noncardiac Surgery Ahsan M. Arozullah , Shukri F. Khuri , William G. Henderson , Jennifer Daley , and Predicting Postoperative Pulmonary Complications: The Sleeping Giant Stirs Valerie A. Lawrence Postoperative Pulmonary Complications Valerie A. Lawrence Metrics 17 September 2002Volume 137, Issue 6Page: 550-551KeywordsHypoxiaIschemiaMorbidityMortalityNauseaOxygenPneumoniaSleep apneaSurgeryVomiting ePublished: 17 September 2002 Issue Published: 17 September 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...