title: Peri-operative pulmonary dysfunction and protection.
abstract: Pulmonary complications are a major cause of peri-operative morbidity and mortality, but have been researched less thoroughly than cardiac complications. It is important to try and predict which patients are at risk of peri-operative pulmonary complications and to intervene to reduce this risk. Anaesthetists are in a unique position to do this during the whole peri-operative period. Pre-operative training, smoking cessation and lung ventilation with tidal volumes of 6-8 ml.kg(-1) and low positive end-expiratory pressure probably reduce postoperative pulmonary complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marseu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.|University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Slinger
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019990:Perioperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D013990:Tidal Volume