Smoking, paravertebral analgesia, cervical anastomosis, and bilateral drains are independent risk factors for postoperative pulmonary complications after esophagectomy, which can inform perioperative management.
Smoking, paravertebral analgesia, cervical anastomosis, and bilateral drains were independently associated with increased PPC risk. Although predictive performance was modest, these modifiable and structural factors inform perioperative management. Future models should incorporate intraoperative and physiological variables to improve risk stratification.
Aa et al. (Mon,) studied this question.