Development of a scoring system to predict postoperative pulmonary complications in a tertiary care center

Objective: There is no existing scoring system to predict postoperative risks, such as the Canet scoring system, for patients referred to pulmonology clinics.The aim of this study was to develop a scoring system to predict postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) in patients referred to the pulmonology clinics for preoperative evaluation. Patients ans Methods: This prospective, single-center study included patients referred for preoperative evaluation by surgical departments to the pulmonary medicine clinic at a tertiary care center. Preoperative demographic data and pulmonary evaluation results were recorded. Patients were followed postoperatively until discharge, with follow-up phone calls at the first month to assess pulmonary symptoms. Mortality data was recorded at the third month. Results: A total of 203 patients were included between January 2018 and February 2020. Of these, 55.7% were female, with a mean age of 60.59 years. PPC rate at the first month was 36.4%, and 22.7% had ongoing symptoms or new complications. The most common complication was bronchospasm (23.2%). Significant preoperative risk factors included surgery type, preoperative cough/dyspnea, and the season of surgery (p<0.05). Pulmonary complications were three times more frequent in patients undergoing upper abdominal or thoracic surgery. Conclusion: Avoiding surgery during symptomatic periods and making optimal preoperative preparations may reduce the PPC rates.