Anesthesiology clinics
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Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are common after major non-thoracic surgery and associated with significant morbidity and high cost of care. A number of risk factors are strong predictors of PPCs. The overall goal of the preoperative pulmonary evaluation is to identify these potential, patient and procedure-related risks and optimize the health of the patients before surgery. A thorough clinical examination supported by appropriate laboratory tests will help guide the clinician to provide optimal perioperative care.
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Enhanced recovery after surgery is the natural evolution of what were previously referred to as fast track programs and seeks to implement a series of interventions to improve and enhance recovery after major surgical procedures. Two important preoperative aspects are nutrition and prehabilitation. Identifying nutritionally deficient patients allows preoperative intervention to optimize their nutritional status. The contribution of cardiopulmonary exercise testing to the evaluation of perioperative risk, subsequent development of a training program, and the use of indices to risk stratify and measure improvement after a training program allow a personalized preoperative program to be developed for each patient.