Oxidative stress after lung resection therapy - A pilot study

Study objectives: To investigate whether oxidative stress occurs following lobectomy and pneumonectomy and to evaluate whether markers of oxidative st ress might be of value in the assessment of the diagnosis, course, and prog nosis of postoperative complications. Design: A prospective study. setting: A specialized thoracic surgical unit in a large referral hospital. Patients: Twenty-eight patients with lung carcinoma undergoing thoracotomy. Measurements: Exhaled H2O2 concentrations in breath condensate were measure d by spectrophotometry, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in urine samples collected every 24 h were measured by reversed-phase, ion-pair high-perfor mance liquid chromatography using ultraviolet detection. Results: Our results show increased H2O2 and MDA le, els in lobectomy patie nts compared with pneumonectomy patients, A strong correlation was found be tween the levels of H2O2 and MDA. Conclusion: The present data support the hypothesis that oxidative stress m ay occur following pulmonary resection.