Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Pulmonary function testing in preoperative high-risk patients
Authors' conclusion
Our screening program detected a relevant number of patients with previously unknown obstructive ventilatory disorders and impaired pulmonary gas exchange.
Study context
- Population
- Preoperative patients of all surgical disciplines aged ≥75 years or with reduced exercise tolerance (MET < 4)230 met test quality criteria
- Participants
- 256 patients
- Outcome
- Previously unknown respiratory impairments detected by spirometry and DLCO
Methodological detailssingle-centre, tertiary university hospital
- Single-centre
- Tertiary university hospital
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Obstructive ventilatory disorders
- 81 (35.2%)
- Previously unknown obstructive disorders
- 65
- Newly diagnosed obstructive disorders: mild / moderate / severe
- 38 / 18 / 9
- Previously unknown gas exchange impairments (of 145 DLCO measurements)
- 40 (27.6%)
- Gas exchange impairments: mild / moderate / severe
- 21 / 17 / 2
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1 and DLCO vs reference values
- Significantly lower than international reference values of a healthy population
Associations with lung function
- Lower ASA class and no smoking history associated with higher FVC, FEV1 and DLCO
- MET < 4 strongly associated with lower spirometry values
Original publication
Pulmonary function testing in preoperative high-risk patients. Perioper Med (Lond). Published 5 March 2024. doi:10.
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