Perioperative Evaluation of Patients with Pulmonary Conditions Undergoing Non-Cardiothoracic Surgery

This review describes the perioperative management of patients with suspected or established pulmonary conditions undergoing non-cardiothoracic surgery, with a focus on common pulmonary conditions such as obstructive airway disease, pulmonary hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, and chronic hypoxic respiratory conditions. Considering that postoperative pulmonary complications are common and given the increasing number of surgical procedures and the size of the aging population, familiarity with current guidelines for preoperative risk assessment and intra- and postoperative patient management is recommended to decrease the morbidity and mortality. In particular, smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation are perioperative strategies for improving patients' short- and long-term outcomes. Understanding the potential risk for pulmonary complications allows the medical team to appropriately plan the intra- and postoperative care of each patient.