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Prevention of Postoperative Pulmonary Problems Starts Intraoperatively

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Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2013

Part of the book series: Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((AUICEM))

Abstract

Pulmonary complications are a burden for the postoperative patient [1]. Atelectasis and pneumonia have been recognized as the most frequent pulmonary problems in critically ill surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients [2]. However, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate clinically between atelectasis and pulmonary infection. About a century ago, collapse of the lung, related to insufficient inspiratory power was reported [3, 4]. Altered gas exchange was characteristic in these patients [5], and Bendixen et al. used the term “atelectasis” for the very first time in 1963 [6]. Atelectasis occurs with progressive loss of compliance, not least as a consequence of loss of laryngeal muscle tone and disappearance of intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), after induction of anesthesia, paralysis and bypassing the oropharynx [7].

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  1. Dept of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University Hospital Brussels, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium

    J. Poelaert, L. Szegedi & S. Blot

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  2. L. Szegedi
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Correspondence to J. Poelaert .

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  1. Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Jean-Louis Vincent Prof.

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Poelaert, J., Szegedi, L., Blot, S. (2013). Prevention of Postoperative Pulmonary Problems Starts Intraoperatively. In: Vincent, JL. (eds) Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine 2013. Annual Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35109-9_43

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35109-9_43

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