Postoperative Pulmonary Complications

Postoperative pulmonary complications are a significant cause of morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and delayed recovery following surgery. This session will explore common complications, including atelectasis, pneumonia, aspiration, and respiratory failure, along with their risk factors and...

• Postoperative pulmonary complications represent a critical composite outcome encompassing diverse respiratory abnormalities, including atelectasis, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and aspiration pneumonitis. Arising from surgical insult, positioning, and general anesthesia, these complications occur in five to thirty percent of surgical cases, surpassing perioperative cardiac events in both frequency and clinical impact. Crucially, developing a single postoperative pulmonary complication increases short- and long-term mortality ten- to fifteen-fold, with adverse prognostic effects persisting up to five years. While historical definitions relied on regional expert consensus, evolving global Delphi frameworks are establishing standardized severity criteria and explicit surveillance windows to improve research validity and bedside utility.