EP1.17-31 30 Days Major Morbidity and Mortality After Lung Cancer Surgery. Outcomes of Five Years in a Single Center Experience

Abstract

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Surgery offers the best potential cure, but as in any surgery there are some complications that will be minimized with the improvement of surgical practice and treatment protocols. The aim of this study was to clarify the level of service we are providing in order to improve it and to add more information in the global database on the Thoracic Morbidity and Mortality classification system for patients undergoing lung resection. This is a retrospective study that included all patients who underwent lung resection in our department from January 2011 to January 2015. The parameters examined were postoperative mortality thirty days and postoperative complications. Both patients were evaluated prior to surgery according to the Karnofsky score and the intervention was performed by postero-lateral thoracotomy. There were 216 patients who were operated on for lung cancer in which 37 (17%) of them underwent pneumonectomy meanwhile the rest lobectomies, bilobectomies and anatomical segmentectomies. The average age was 62.4 years (± 12SD). 12% of patients were women and 88% males. 79% were smokers and 21% non-smokers. According to TNM classification, 10.2% of cases were in the first stage, 44% in the second stage, 21.3% in the third stage and 5.6% in the fourth stage. 40.4% of cases had another illness (cardiovascular disease 24.2%, COPD 11.8%, diabetes mellitus 3.7% and other diseases 0.6%). 17% of patients had complications 30 days after surgery and only 2.3% died. As for pneumonectomy, the complication rate was 24% and the mortality rate was 8%. The main complications that have been observed were 19 cases of empyema, 4 cases of broncho-pleural fistula, 4 cases of pneumonia, 3 cases of prolonged air loss, 3 cases of heart attack and in 4 cases different complications were observed. 2 of mortality occurred due to a heart attack, in 2 cases occurred due to severe pneumonia and in one case a vascular accident occurred during the operation. Hospital stay was 8.5±3 days. In our specialty, the complication rate following a surgical operation is a parameter very often used to check the quality level provided by health professionals. Our results show average mortality and morbidity after lung cancer surgery. However, patients with reduced lung capacity and undergoing pneumonectomy should be treated with the utmost care, since they run a considerable risk of major complications or death during the first 30 days after surgery.