Postoperative Pulmonary Complications

Pneumoperitoneum and Trendelenburg positioning during laparoscopic surgery promote atelectasis development, which has been reported in up to 90% of patients under general anesthesia and increases the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy may reduce post-extubation atelectasis through alveolar recruitment. This prospective observational cohort study aims to evaluate the role of HFNC in postoperative atelectasis monitored by lung ultrasonography (LUS) in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a brief suction of the airway going to the surgical lung (bronchus) can help the lung collapse faster and more completely during uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS). This type of surgery is performed through a small incision in the chest, and good lung collapse helps the surgeon see and work safely. The main questions it aims to answer are 1. Does brief bronchial suction improve the quality of lung collapse 1 minute after chest cavity is opened? 2. Does brief bronchial suction help reach satisfactory lung collapse faster? Researchers will compare patients who receive brief bronchial suction and those who do not. This is to see if suction improves and fastens lung collapse, reduce the need for additional steps if lung is not adequately collapsed, affect inflammation, oxygenation, postoperative pulmonary complications, operative time, and the duration of one-lung ventilation. Participants will 1. Undergo UVATS under general anesthesia 2. Have a double-lumen breathing tube placed as part of the standard anesthetic care 3. Be randomly assigned to either receive bronchial suction for one minute or receive no bronchial suction 4. Have the surgical team assess the quality of lung collapse at different time points 5. Have blood samples taken for interleukin-6, a marker related to inflammation, once during and once after surgery. These samples are collected through a small tube in a vein that is placed as a standard anesthetic care while the participant is under general anesthesia. No extra puncture is required for blood collection. 6. Have information collected from the routine anesthesia and surgical records such as oxygen levels during surgery, length of surgery and lung-related complications within 7 days after surgery

This prospective observational study evaluates the association between intraoperative mechanical power (MP) - a composite measure of the total energy delivered to the lungs during mechanical ventilation - and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and prolonged mechanical ventilation in adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Intraoperative ventilatory parameters including tidal volume, respiratory rate, airway pressures, and PEEP will be recorded and used to calculate MP and driving pressure (DP). No additional interventions will be applied beyond standard clinical care.

Postoperative respiratory failure (PRF) is a dreaded complication that imposes a significant burden through unplanned admission to the ICU, post discharge disability and mortality. Despite widespread implementation of intraoperative lung-protective ventilation strategies over the past decade, results remain inconsistent. Interventions targeting individual parameters like tidal volume or positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) have shown equivocal results. The use of high PEEP and recruitment maneuvers raises safety concerns by possible negative hemodynamic effects. Recent studies suggest that individualizing ventilation strategies based on mechanical power-a composite parameter integrating tidal volume, plateau pressure, PEEP, and ventilator frequency-may better predict and help prevent PRF, independently of patients' baseline respiratory system compliance. These studies identified this parameter as interventional targets to reduce lung injury during mechanical ventilation. However, no multicenter randomized controlled trial has been performed in the field of ventilatory settings titration during invasive mechanical ventilation in operating room. The investigators hypothesize that a ventilation strategy aimed at decreasing mechanical power will reduce the incidence of PRF and mortality in patients undergoing abdominal surgery, compared with a standard strategy using fixed tidal volume and PEEP

Postoperative pulmonary complications (POPC) are common after general anaesthesia and are a major cause of increased morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. However, prevention and treatment methods for POPC that are considered effective, tie up human and technical resources. The aim of the planned research project is therefore to enable reliable identification of high-risk patients on the basis of a tailored machine learning algorithm using perioperative clinical routine data and sonographic imaging data collected in the recovery room. The randomized clinical trial will include 512 patients undergoing elective surgery in general anaesthesia. The primary outcome will be the development of POPC. The goal of the study is to detect postoperative pulmonary complications before they become clinically manifest.

The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of continuous 24-hour intravenous infusion of lidocaine on the incidence of PPCs in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy for intra-abdominal infection (IAI).The secondary objectives of this study are to assess the impact of continuous 24-hour intravenous lidocaine infusion on the proportion of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, protection of important organ function during the perioperative period, length of hospital stay, and outcomes within 30 days postoperatively.

Robotic surgery requires pneumoperitoneum and steep Trendelenburg positioning, which significantly impair respiratory mechanics and increase the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is a key determinant of lung recruitment; however, fixed PEEP strategies may not be optimal for all patients. Individualized PEEP titration strategies, including incremental and decremental approaches, may better optimize lung mechanics. This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effects of incremental, decremental, and fixed PEEP strategies on cumulative mechanical power (MP-AUC) and postoperative oxygenation in patients undergoing robotic surgery.

Cardiopulmonary bypass-associated pulmonary injury is a common complication after infant cardiac surgery and may contribute to impaired oxygenation, prolonged mechanical ventilation, and longer intensive care stay. Lidocaine has anti-inflammatory and membrane-stabilizing properties and may attenuate perioperative lung injury. This investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial will evaluate whether perioperative intravenous lidocaine reduces postoperative pulmonary injury in infants undergoing corrective non-palliative congenital cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.

This single-center quality improvement project evaluates preoperative fasting times before elective procedures requiring anesthesiology care. The project aims to reduce prolonged fasting for clear fluids by implementing a local standard operating procedure (SOP) allowing patients to drink clear liquids until being called to the operating room ("drink until called"), supported by staff education and fasting instruction cards. Fasting times and selected perioperative outcomes will be assessed before and after implementation.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) remain an important cause of morbidity after abdominal surgery. Intraoperative mechanical ventilation may contribute to lung injury through the mechanical load applied to the respiratory system. Mechanical power (MP) and driving pressure (DP) have emerged as integrative parameters reflecting the total ventilatory burden delivered to the lungs. This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the association between time-dependent exposure to intraoperative mechanical power and driving pressure and postoperative pulmonary outcomes in patients undergoing elective laparoscopic abdominal surgery. Ventilatory parameters will be recorded at predefined intervals during routine clinical care, and MP and DP will be calculated without altering clinical management. The primary objective is to assess whether longer exposure to elevated ventilatory load is associated with the development of postoperative pulmonary complications.

Pulmonary atelectasis is common during general anesthesia and increases the risk of hypoxemia, especially in pediatric patients. PEEP and recruitment maneuvers (RM) are effective in preventing atelectasis. Lung ultrasound is practical for diagnosis. Mechanical power refers to the amount of energy delivered to the lung by the ventilator; excessive mechanical power can cause lung injury. Limiting mechanical power may reduce postoperative complications. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of recruitment maneuvers in preventing atelectasis using lung ultrasound during the intraoperative period, to examine the relationship between lung ultrasound scores and mechanical power, and to demonstrate the effect of recruitment maneuvers on postoperative pulmonary complications. This study is based on the hypothesis that "The recruitment maneuver reduces perioperative atelectasis and the development of related complications, and lung ultrasound can be used to detect this. The lung ultrasound score also decreases in patients with reduced mechanical force." It will be prospectively applied to pediatric patients aged 1-14 years who will undergo surgery in the operating rooms of Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty. Patients included in the study will be prospectively randomized into 3 groups. The randomization performed using the sealed opaque envelope method.All patients will be ventilated in VG-Pressure guaranteed mode. Tidal volume will be calculated as 6-8 ml/kg of ideal body weight. GROUP 1: Fixed PEEP: 5 cmH2O, GROUP 2: PEEP: 5 cmH2O, 5 cycles, recruitment maneuver with plateau P\<35 cm H2O and vital capacity x2. GROUP 3: PEEP: 5 cmH2O, 5 cycles of recruitment maneuvers will be performed in the right and left lateral decubitus position before extubation with P\<35 cmH2O and vital capacity x2. Lung ultrasound will be performed before induction (1), 5 minutes after intubation (2), before extubation (3), and finally 5 minutes after extubation(4). Each hemithorax will be divided into 6 regions, and lung scores will be recorded. At 5 minutes after intubation and every hour there after, PeakP, PlateauP, DeltaP, Compliance, Driving Pressures, and Mechanical Work calculations will be recorded before and after the maneuver in the group undergoing the recruitment maneuver.

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare two different types of perioperative mechanical ventilation (MV), specifically Protective Mechanical Ventilation (PMV) and MV with the lowest possible Driving Pressure (ΔP), in relation to the appearance of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in adult patients who are operated and have higher risk of PPCs. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is MV with lower ΔP better than conventional PMV in preventing PPCs in patients with higher risk for PPCs? * Does MV with lower ΔP decrease hospital stay, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) need and mortality? * Does MV with lower ΔP suit better than PMV to lung characteristics and needs intraoperatively? Researchers will compare MV with the lowest possible Driving Pressure (ΔP) to Protective Mechanical Ventilation (PMV) to see if any of this is more protective than the other concerning PPCs. All participants will receive perioperative MV. Half of them will receive conventional Protective Mechanical Ventilation (PMV). This will include well known generally protective settings for mechanical ventilation of patients, concerning volumes, pressures, respiratory rate, inspiratory gases and ventilation maneuvers. The rest of participants will be ventilated with the lowest possible Driving Pressure (ΔP). This will be similar to PMV in the chosen volumes, respiratory rate, inspiratory gases and ventilation maneuvers. However, the pressure inside lung at the end of expiration, eg Positive End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP), will be not be preset for every patient. Initially, the investigators will perform a maneuver that will quantify each individual's lung characteristics and mechanics. According to this, the investigators will find the exact PEEP that seems to suit each patients lungs most, and use this perioperatively, trying to provide lungs the best conditions every time. After the completion of the operation, all the patients will be screened for PPCs, via arterial blood testing and chest X ray, and the results will be statistically analyzed trying to find if any of the forementioned strategies of mechanical ventilation surpasses the other concerning PPCs appearance. PPCs include atelectasis, respiratory failure, bronchospasm, pleural effusion, pneumonia, aspiration and pneumothorax. Furthermore hospital stay, ICU need and mortality will be noted. Finally, measurements of perioperative lung pressures, volumes and derived variables will be noted and compared statistically as well.

Breathing problems after surgery are common and can lead to serious complications such as low oxygen levels, lung collapse, or pulmonary embolism. These problems increase patient risk and place an additional burden on the healthcare system. Breathing exercises and incentive spirometer use are important methods to prevent these complications. However, many patients have difficulty understanding and correctly performing these exercises when education is limited to standard verbal instructions. This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate whether the 5T Teach-Back education method improves patients' understanding, practical skills, respiratory outcomes, and satisfaction compared with standard verbal education. The study will be conducted in a university hospital and will include 76 adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Patients in the intervention group will receive preoperative breathing exercise and incentive spirometer training using the 5T Teach-Back method, which encourages patients to explain the information back in their own words and repeat the skills until they are correctly understood. Patients in the control group will receive routine verbal education provided by clinical nurses. Outcomes will be measured before surgery and again within 24-72 hours after surgery. These outcomes include patients' knowledge level, correct performance of breathing exercises and spirometer use, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, lung function test results, and patient satisfaction with nursing care. The results of this study are expected to show whether the 5T Teach-Back method is more effective than standard education in improving postoperative respiratory care and patient satisfaction. The findings may help standardize patient education practices and support nurses in delivering more effective respiratory training before surgery.

This observational study investigates the relationship between the duration of single-lung ventilation (SLV) and the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) such as pneumonia, pneumothorax, hemothorax, acute lung injury, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in adult patients undergoing thoracic surgery. A total of 134 patients aged 18-85 years, scheduled for thoracic surgery requiring SLV, will be monitored. Data including SLV duration, perioperative parameters, and postoperative pulmonary outcomes will be analyzed.

This study plans to learn more about specific breathing and activity recommendations for patients after surgery. Participants will be monitored after abdominal surgery to identify what activities help them breathe better and reduce complications after surgery.

This study adopts a combination of retrospective and prospective cohort research methods to explore the composition of preoperative oropharyngeal and gut microbiota in elderly patients undergoing elective upper abdominal surgery, aiming to analyze the correlation between preoperative oropharyngeal and intestinal microbiota composition and metabolite levels and the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). The research subjects of the retrospective cohort study were participants (ClinicalTrials.gov No. NCT05679661) included in the prospective RCT on the effects of perioperative immune nutrition intervention and oral hygiene on postoperative complications in elderly patients, which was conducted at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2023 to present. The prospective cohort study plans to continue enrolling elderly patients aged ≥ 65 who underwent elective upper abdominal surgery. This study collects preoperative oropharyngeal and fecal samples, as well as preoperative plasma from patients for microbial sequencing and untargeted metabolomics analysis. The main outcome measurement is PPCs, which include pneumonia, atelectasis, and hypoxemia within 7 days after surgery. Inflammatory cells and cytokines in peripheral blood are secondary outcomes.

Cardiac surgery is a critical intervention for a variety of cardiovascular conditions, yet it can frequently results in a spectrum of postoperative complications. Amongst various morbidities, Post-Operative Pulmonary Complications (POPCs) represent a significant clinical challenge leading to adverse outcomes like increased morbidity, mortality, and raised healthcare expenditures. The diaphragm, as the principal respiratory muscle, plays a pivotal role in maintaining pulmonary function. Diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) in the perioperative period of Cardiac surgery has an incidence of up to 20%. Understanding the impact of DD on postoperative pulmonary function is imperative for optimizing patient care and clinical outcomes. Its occurrence has been linked to a spectrum of respiratory complications, ranging from pneumonia to difficulty in weaning from mechanical ventilation. In recent years, the advent of point-of-care ultrasonogram (POCUS) has emerged as a promising modality for real-time monitoring of DD. It offers a more accessible and feasible approach compared to traditional methods, providing immediate feedback on diaphragmatic movement, and facilitates timely intervention. Ultrasound has been used to assess Diaphragmatic Inspiratory Amplitude (DIA) (the expansion of the diaphragm when breathing). DIA has been shown to decrease in the post-operative period after cardiac surgery, which has been well-correlated with the occurrence of POPCs, however, its predictive value has not yet been studied in a cohort of cardiac surgical patients. Hence, we aim to address this gap by exploring the utility of DIA measured by ultrasonogram as a predictive tool in anticipating the occurrence of POPCs. We hypothesize that DIA can predict the occurrence of POPC in cardiac surgical patients. We will recruit 130 patients at University Hospital, London Health Science Centre, to this prospective, observational study.