PREOPERATIVE PULMONARY EVALUATION

The purpose of preoperative pulmonary assessment is to predict which p atients are at greatest risk of pulmonary complications, under which c ircumstances such complications may occur, and whether surgery should be denied based on that risk, In this article, the author addresses th e following major issues in preoperative pulmonary assessment: 1) the risks of pulmonary complications in relation to the type of surgical p rocedure; 2) the value of preoperative pulmonary function testing, inc luding when such testing should be performed and how the results shoul d be used; and 3) guidelines for assessment of those patients about to undergo resectional surgery of the lung.