title: Clinical variables of preoperative risk in thoracic surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pulmonary complications are the most common forms of postoperative morbidity in thoracic surgery, especially atelectasis and pneumonia. The first step in avoiding these complications during the postoperative period is to detect the patients that may develop them.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify risk variables leading to early postoperative pulmonary complications in thoracic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas.
  
  
  METHODS
  145 patients submitted to elective surgery were classified as low, moderate and high risk for postoperative pulmonary complications using a risk assessment scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patients were followed up for 72 hours after the operation. Postoperative pulmonary complications were defined as atelectasis, pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, wheezing, prolonged intubation and/or prolonged mechanical ventilation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Univariate analysis was applied in order to study these independent variables: age, nutritional status, body mass index, respiratory disease, smoking habit, spirometry and surgery duration. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed in order to evaluate the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of postoperative complications was 18.6%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the variables increasing the chances of postoperative pulmonary complications were wheezing (odds ratio, OR = 6.2), body mass index (OR = 1.15), smoking (OR = 1.04) and surgery duration (OR = 1.007).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Wheezing, body mass index, smoking and surgery duration increase the chances of postoperative pulmonary complications in thoracic surgery
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. fisioterapia@hc.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Ivete Alonso Bredda
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: Eduardo Mello
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: De Capitani
authors.forename: Ivan Felizardo Contrera
authors.initials: IF
authors.lastname: Toro
authors.forename: Lair
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zambon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*