Abstract
Objectives
During the preoperative evaluation, the anesthesiologist may request opinions from different branches for the diagnosis and treatment of patients who may be risky in the perioperative process and/or have symptoms. One of the most frequently consulted branches is the chest diseases clinic. In this study, we aimed to investigate the causes of Chest Disease Consultation (CDC) requested from patients who will undergo non-cardiothoracic surgery in anesthesia outpatient clinic and their effects on perioperative process.
Materials and Methods
In this study, the records of CDC requested for preoperative evaluation from 321 patients over the age of 18 who underwent non-cardiothoracic surgery in a tertiary care hospital between January 2022 and July 2022 were retrospectively examined through the hospital information record system. The general characteristics of the patients, the type of surgery planned, the reasons for requesting CDC, the additional examinations requested if any, the risk values given as a result of the consultation and those who developed Postoperative Pulmonary Complication (PPC) were examined and recorded.
Results
Of the 13,342 patients who came to the anesthesia outpatient clinic for preoperative evaluation, 321 patients were asked for CDC. Of these patients, 146 (45.5%) were male and 65.3±12.7 years old and 175 (54.5%) were female and 62.7±14.7 years old. Consultation was requested from the patients to be operated by the General Surgery Clinic most frequently. The most common reason for requesting consultation was the detection of undiagnosed pulmonary symptoms/signs (52.95%). It was found that 2.32% of the patients who completed CDC developed PPC and there was no significant relationship between the risk given by the CD doctor and PPC (p=0.146). However, there was a significant relationship between American Society of Anesthesiologists score and PPC (p=0.048).
Conclusion
Accurate risk stratification and, if necessary, careful preparation of patients with a multidisciplinary approach with consultations from related branches are important for the prevention of postoperative complications.