Complications of surgery for infectious lung cavities

Abstract

Background Infectious lung cavities are a common entity for the respiratory physician. Sometimes these lesions require surgical treatment, but surgery is challenging, and complications are common. Methods Patients with infectious lung cavities amenable to surgical treatment were included in a case-control study. The control group included patients with no complications. The cases group comprised patients with any of the following complications up to 90 days after surgery: death, persistence of hemoptysis, empyema, operative blood loss > 500 mL, vascular lesion requiring repair, massive transfusion (>5 units of packed red blood cells per 48 h) or reoperation for bleeding, postoperative mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit stay > 48 h, prolonged air leak, and persistent atelectasis. The potential risk factors for complications analyzed were demographic data, exposure to contaminants, comorbidities, preoperative embolization, surgical indication, spirometry results, and sputum test positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Results Forty-five patients were included in the study and divided into 24 cases and 21 controls. We found a significant difference in the time to removal of chest tubes in favor of the noncomplicated cases (6.45 vs. 4.05 days, p = 0.030), and persistent active infection at the time of surgery tended to be a risk factor for complications (odds ratio = 6.6, 95% confidence interval: 0.7-60, p = 0.061). Conclusion The presence of persistent active infection at the time of surgery could be a risk factor for complications in resection surgery for infectious lung cavities.

Hemoptysis in Tuberculosis: What should we pay attention to?

“…But cavitation was a significant radiological finding which was more common in patients with hemoptysis. Previously, the most frequent symptom in patients with tuberculosiscavitation was hemoptysis [5]. Surgical interventions improved patient outcomes and enabled a cure in a high portion, even in cases of bilateral cavitation due to advanced tuberculosis also [17].…”

“…It is also the symptom that forces the patient to seek medical attention in a short time. Early diagnosis and treatment is important for the global control of tuberculosis [3][4][5][6]. In this regard, even if it is a major concern for the patient and even if it is a fatal complication, hemoptysis may actually be a chance for early diagnosis and the global control of the disease.…”