Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are significant problems in patients undergoing radical head and neck cancer surgery with free flap reconstruction.
The incidence of PPCs in 110 patients who underwent the procedure was 32.7% (36 patients) with pulmonary edema in 23.6% and pneumonia in 9.1%.
The patients with PPCs required longer ventilation support, frequent ICU readmissions, and stayed longer in the hospital.
None of the preoperative or intraoperative parameters including pulmonary comorbidity or the amounts of intraoperative fluid/blood administration was found as the factor to predict PPCs.