[Correlations of preoperative pulmonary function tests for esophageal cancer to postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome].

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a serious postoperative complication of esophageal cancer, has a high mortality rate. Preoperative pulmonary function affects treatment project selection and prognosis prediction. The correlation of preoperative pulmonary function of esophageal cancer to postoperative ARDS has seldom been reported. This study was to analyze their correlation to serve for clinical medicine. METHODS: Clinical data of 1 488 esophageal cancer patients, received esophagectomy from 2000 to 2002 in our hospital, were retrospectively reviewed. The correlations of postoperative ARDS to 3 traditional parameters in pulmonary function test, including forced expiratory volume in the first one second (FEV1%), the ratio of FEV1 to forced vital capacity [(FEV1/FVC)%] and maximal voluntary ventilation (MVV%), and other factors, such as age, sex, operation pattern, preoperative cardiac function, early postoperative intensive care, were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 1,488 patients, 49 suffered postoperative ARDS. The occurrence of ARDS was negatively related to the interaction of FEV1%, (FEV1/FVC)%, MVV% and age (P=0.001, P=0.005, P=0.048). Of the 49 patients suffered severe preoperative lung function damage, 32 received intensive care right after operation, of whom 2 (6.2%) had ARDS; 5 (29.4%) of the remaining 17 had ARDS. Early postoperative intensive care significantly decreased the occurrence of ARDS (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Traditional pulmonary function test have some correlations to postoperative ARDS. Early intensive care is important to prevent ARDS after operation.