title: Risk assessment for and strategies to reduce perioperative pulmonary complications for patients undergoing noncardiothoracic surgery: a guideline from the American College of Physicians.
abstract: Postoperative pulmonary complications play an important role in the risk for patients undergoing noncardiothoracic surgery. Postoperative pulmonary complications are as prevalent as cardiac complications and contribute similarly to morbidity, mortality, and length of stay. Pulmonary complications may even be more likely than cardiac complications to predict long-term mortality after surgery. The purpose of this guideline is to provide guidance to clinicians on clinical and laboratory predictors of perioperative pulmonary risk before noncardiothoracic surgery. It also evaluates strategies to reduce the perioperative pulmonary risk and focuses on atelectasis, pneumonia, and respiratory failure. The target audience for this guideline is general internists or other clinicians involved in perioperative management of surgical patients. The target patient population is all adult persons undergoing noncardiothoracic surgery.
authors.affiliation: American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19106, USA. aqaseem@acponline.org
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qaseem
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fitterman
authors.forename: E Rodney
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Hornbake
authors.forename: Valerie A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Gerald W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Smetana
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Douglas K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aronson
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: J Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fitterman
authors.forename: Katherine D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Sherif
authors.forename: Kevin B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Weiss
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000698:Analgesia / Q000379:methods; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000379:methods; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative