BACKGROUND: To identify risk variables leading to early postoperative pulmonary complication (POPC) in thoracic and upper abdominal surgery. METHODS: 297 patients submitted to elective surgery were classified as low, moderate and high risk for POPC using PORT scale, following Torrington & Henderson (1988). The patients were followed up for 72 hours postoperative. POPC were defined as atelectasis, pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, wheezing, prolonged intubation and/or prolonged mechanical ventilation. Univariate analysis was applied to study these independent variables: type of surgery, age, nutritional status (BMI), respiratory disease, smoking habit, spirometry and surgical time. Multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed in order to evaluate the relationship between independent and dependent (POPC) variables. RESULTS: POPC incidence was 12.1%. By multivariate logistic regression analysis the variables increasing chance to POPC was cough with yellow mucus (OR= 3.8), thoracic surgery (OR=2.9) compared to abdominal surgery, BMI (OR=1.13), duration of smoking (OR=1.03) and prolonged duration of surgery (OR=1.007). In the thoracic surgery group, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed: wheezing (OR=6.2), BMI (OR=1.15), long time smoking (OR= 1.04) and prolonged duration of surgery (OR= 1.007) related to POPC. CONCLUSION: The variables occurrence that increased chance to POPC in thoracic and upper abdominal surgery were: cough with yellow mucus, thoracic surgery, BMI, duration of smoking and duration of surgery. Regarding the thoracic surgery group the significance variables were wheezing, BMI, duration of smoking and duration of surgery.
Surgery; Physical therapy; Posoperative complications
