Risk Factors for Postoperative Pneumonia After Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer

Few studies have investigated the risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after esophageal cancer surgery. The aim of the present study was to identify risk factors of postoperative pneumonia after esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. This study included 122 patients who underwent curative surgery for esophageal cancer between January 2005 and September 2018. The rate of postoperative pneumonia was measured by the revised Uniform Pneumonia Score. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for postoperative pneumonia. Postoperative pneumonia was found in 34 of the 122 patients (27.9%). Among the factors examined (age, gender, preoperative chemotherapy status, operative type, operative duration, blood loss, lymph node dissection, smoking habit, and alcohol habit), the age (p = 0.038) and operative duration (p = 0.035) were identified as significant independent risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in the univariate and multivariate analyses. The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was 40% (22 of 55) in patients >= 70 years old and 17.9% (12 of 67) in those < 70 years old. The incidence of postoperative pneumonia was 45.2% (28 of 62) in the operative duration >= 570 min group and 10.0% (6 of 60) in the operative duration < 570 min group. The age and operative duration were risk factors for postoperative pneumonia in patients who underwent curative esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. To improve the survival of patients with esophageal cancer, it is necessary to carefully plan the surgical procedure, perioperative care, and surgical strategy.