Lung injury is a potential complication of lung resection and has been termed postpneumonectomy pulmonary oedema (PPO) [1,2]. In its extreme form, PPO represents one cause of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the less severe acute lung injury (ALI) [3]. PPO complicates 4-7% of pneumonectomies and 1-7% of lobectomies, with an associated mortality of 50-100% [4][5][6][7], and therefore represents a significant operative complication. Predicting patients at risk of developing PPO has proved difficult. Age, the side of lung resection [5], the volume of fluid infused perioperatively [1,8], and preoperative lung function have all been proposed as possible predictive factors, but with little statistical support. The pathophysiology of PPO is uncertain, although the use of fresh frozen plasma, mechanical ventilatory support [9] and the extent of mediastinal lymphatic dissection [10] may be contributory factors.Ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury may also contribute to PPO, in that operative ischaemia may lead to lung damage, but on reperfusion injury is increased owing to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) [11,12], possibly secondary to neutrophil recruitment and activation in the lung [13,14]. I-R-mediated damage is known to occur following rapid re-expansion of a collapsed lung, after removal of thrombus in massive pulmonary embolus and following lung transplantation. Furthermore, evidence of ROS-mediated oxidative damage has been found in patients with ARDS precipitated by a wide variety of serious medical and surgical conditions [15,16].The primary aim of this investigation was therefore to seek evidence of oxidative damage and lung injury in patients undergoing routine thoracic surgery involving onelung ventilation. During lobectomy, the relevant lung may be partly or completely collapsed, potentially suffering I-R-mediated injury on re-expansion. During pneumonectomy or open lung biopsy, the lung is less frequently manipulated in this fashion. To evaluate the possible connection between evidence of ROS activation, clinically detectable lung injury and the type of surgical resection, patients undergoing pneumonectomy, lobectomy and lesser resections (wedge, segmentectomy or open lung biopsy with a low risk) were investigated.
Methods
Study subjectsPatients over 18 yrs of age scheduled to undergo elective thoracic surgery and providing informed consent were Postoperative lung injury and oxidative damage in patients undergoing pulmonary resection. E.A. Williams, G.J. Quinlan, P. Goldstraw, J.W.W. Gothard, T.W. Evans. ©ERS Journals Ltd 1998. ABSTRACT: Postpneumonectomy pulmonary oedema (PPO) complicates a significant number of thoracic surgical procedures involving lung resection and in its extreme form is indistinguishable from the acute respiratory distress syndrome. This study investigated the possibility that ischaemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury contributes to PPO via the production of damaging reactive oxygen species.In a prospective, observational, comparative study, patients undergoing...