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DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-815801
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York
Determinants of Perioperative Morbidity and Mortality after Pneumonectomy
Publication History
Received August 18, 2003
Publication Date:
04 March 2004 (online)

Abstract
Background: Pneumonectomy remains a relatively high-risk procedure. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. Thus, the effort to find out predisposing factors for surgical risks continues. We investigated the effect of both water-load control and sampling lymphadenectomy technique on perioperative morbidity and mortality after pneumonectomy. Material and Methods: A hundred and three consecutive patients undergoing simple pneumonectomy were included in the prospective study. Pneumonectomy was performed for lung cancer in 92 patients and for benign diseases in 11 cases; 81 patients were male and 22 female, and the mean age was 53.4 ± 11.4 years. Both sampling and completion lymphadenectomy techniques were used randomly. Water-load was carefully limited to values as low as possible, depending on stable hemodynamics during and after operation. Results: There were no deaths, and none of the patients needed postoperative mechanical ventilation. Major complications included dyspnea in 9 patients and supraventricular arrhythmias in 13 patients. Completion lymphadenectomy increased morbidity in both right and left pneumonectomy. Conclusions: Both water-load limitation and sampling lymphadenectomy technique may decrease morbidity and mortality after pneumonectomy.
Key words
Pneumonectomy - lymphadenectomy - water load - morbidity - mortality
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Yingjie Cui
Department of Thoracic Surgery
First Hospital, Peking University
Dahongluo Chang 1 · Xicheng Qu
Beijing 100034
The People's Republic of China
Phone: + 861081713801
Fax: + 86 10 81 71 38 01
Email: ycui3103@hotmail.com