Incidence and Risk Factors of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Noncardiac Chinese Patients: A Multicenter Observational Study in University Hospitals
Table 1
Definitions of postoperative pulmonary complications.
Respiratory infection
Treatment with antibiotics for a respiratory infection, plus at least one of the following criteria: new or changed sputum, new or changed lung opacities, fever, and leukocyte count >12,000/mm3
Respiratory failure
Postoperative PaO2 <60 mmHg on room air, a ratio of PaO2 to inspired oxygen fraction <300, or SaO2 <90% and requiring oxygen therapy
Pleural effusion
Chest radiograph demonstrating blunting of the costophrenic angle, evidence of displacement of adjacent anatomical structures, or (in supine position) a hazy opacity in one hemithorax with preserved vascular shadows
Atelectasis
Collapse of the alveoli, lung opacification with shift of the mediastinum, hilum, or hemidiaphragm toward the affected area, and compensatory overinflation in the adjacent nonatelectatic lung
Pneumothorax
A collection of air in the pleural space (the area with no vascular bed surrounding the visceral pleura)
Bronchospasm
Newly detected expiratory wheezing treated with bronchodilators
Aspiration pneumonitis
Acute lung injury after the inhalation of regurgitated gastric contents
PaO2: partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood; SaO2: arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation.
