Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
OBJECTIVE
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common cause of primary hospital admission and also a common coexisting disease among surgical patients. This translational review focused on recent studies related to the perioperative care of COPD patients.


RESULTS
In addition to the crucial role of smoking cessation, the use of corticosteroids, antibiotics, regional anesthesia techniques and noninvasive ventilation has become a focus in the perioperative management of the COPD patient.


CONCLUSIONS
Perioperative management as well as modern intensive care concepts are based on avoidance of tracheal intubation if possible, use of regional anesthesia techniques and the early liberation from invasive mechanical ventilation. Noninvasive ventilation has become more and more utilized in recent years to stabilize patients with acute exacerbations of COPD and to treat postoperative pulmonary complications in order to avoid reintubation.
Pulmonary Engineering Group, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Therapy, University Hospital Dresden, Dresden, Germany. peter.spieth@uniklinikum-dresden.de
Peter M
PM
Spieth
Andreas
A
Güldner
Marcelo Gama
MG
de Abreu
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019990:Perioperative Care; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents