title: Predictors for postoperative complications after tracheal resection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tracheal resection and anastomosis is the gold standard for the treatment of tracheal stenosis. The objective of this study is to evaluate the complications after tracheal resection for benign stenosis and the predicting factors for such complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was made involving patients with benign tracheal or laryngotracheal stenosis who underwent surgical resection and reconstruction between February 2002 and January 2009. Complications related and unrelated to the anastomosis were studied. Categorical variables were presented as percentage and continuous variables as mean and standard deviation. Predicting factors were determined by univariate analysis. Factors with p less than 0.05 were used for multivariate regression. Logistic regression models were also employed for dependent variables. Statistical significance was set for p less than 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-four patients (18 female, 76 male) were included. Complications occurred in 42 (44.6%). Twenty-one percent had anastomotic complications. The most common complication was restenosis (16%). Nonanastomotic complications occurred in 23.2%. Wound infection occurred in 10.6%. Clinical comorbidities, previous tracheal resection, and the length of tracheal resection were statistically significant factors for complications. Previous tracheal resection was the most significant factor and was highly associated with anastomotic complications (odds ratio 49.965, p=0.012). The greatest number of complications was found in the laryngotracheal reconstruction group, and in resections more than 4 cm. Mean follow-up was 19±14 months. At the end of the study, 86 patients (91.4%) were breathing normally. There was no mortality in this series.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comorbidities, previous tracheal resection, and the length of tracheal resection more than 4 cm were statistically significant factors for the onset of complications.
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: benoitbibas@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Benoit Jacques
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Bibas
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ricardo Mingarini
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Terra
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antonio Lopes
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Oliveira Junior
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mauro Federico Luis
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Tamagno
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Helio
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Minamoto
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Francisco Guerreiro
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.affiliation: Thoracic Surgery Department, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Manuel
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Pêgo-Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D014132:Trachea / Q000601:surgery*; D014135:Tracheal Stenosis / Q000601:surgery*; D014140:Tracheotomy / Q000009:adverse effects*