Risk Index for Postoperative Pneumonia
Authors: Avery Tung, Jerome M. Klafta
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters1 October 2002Risk Index for Postoperative PneumoniaAvery Tung, MD and Jerome M. Klafta, MDAvery Tung, MDUniversity of Chicago; Chicago, IL 60637 (Tung, Klafta)Search for more papers by this author and Jerome M. Klafta, MDUniversity of Chicago; Chicago, IL 60637 (Tung, Klafta)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-7-200210010-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Although we laud the intent and scope of Arozullah and colleagues' study on predicting postoperative pneumonia after major noncardiac surgery (1), we note that analysis of intraoperative factors was limited to type of anesthesia. Inquiring only whether patients have received general or regional anesthesia, however, cannot readily summarize the complex nature of state-of-the-art anesthesia care. As perioperative physicians involved in the management of patients before, during, and after surgery, we suggest that the risk index proposed by Arozullah and colleagues may be incomplete without greater attention to perioperative factors.For example, although the authors identify preoperative blood ...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. Jayr C, Matthay MA, Goldstone J, Gold WM, Wiener-Kronish JP. Preoperative and intraoperative factors associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation. A study in patients following major abdominal vascular surgery. Chest. 1993;103:1231-6. [PMID: 8131471] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Park WY, Thompson JS, Lee KK. Effect of epidural anesthesia and analgesia on perioperative outcome: a randomized, controlled Veterans Affairs cooperative study. Ann Surg. 2001; 234:560-9; discussion 569-71. [PMID: 11573049] Google Scholar4. Kempainen RR, Benditt JO. Evaluation and management of patients with pulmonary disease before thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2001;13:105-15. [PMID: 11494201] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Chicago; Chicago, IL 60637 (Tung, Klafta) 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 Risk Index for Postoperative Pneumonia Ahsan M. Arozullah and Jennifer Daley Metrics 1 October 2002Volume 137, Issue 7Page: 620KeywordsAnalgesiaAnesthesiaAnestheticsBlood transfusionMedical risk factorsPain managementPneumoniaPulmonary diseasesSurgeryUpper respiratory tract infections ePublished: 1 October 2002 Issue Published: 1 October 2002 CopyrightCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...