Affiliation:
1. Senior Resident- Department Of Anaesthesia, V.M.M.C & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.
Abstract
Background: Almost every patient undergoing a major surgical procedure will experience some degree
of physiologic alteration in lung function. A postoperative pulmonary complication is dened as any
respiratory complication that occur within 48-72 hours following a surgical procedure. The relationship between preoperative
variables and postoperative pulmonary complications in surgical patients has been the subject of numerous studies.
Development of POPC is due to a combination of factors, including surgical pathology and existing comorbidities, as well as
surgical and anaesthetic management in the perioperative period. The main risk factors that have been associated with
postoperative pulmonary complication are smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, advanced age, site and duration of
surgery, obesity and comorbidity.