Objective

Post-operative pulmonary complications (PPC) are the major causes of death following lung resection. Early detection is fundamental in treating PPC. PPC leads to a decrease in the lung compliance and expansion. Our hypothesis is that these changes will be detected by chest wall motion technology. We aim to correlate recovery and complications with chest motion.

Methods

We used a novel chest wall motion analysis technology (Structured Light Plethysmography (SLP)) to measure chest wall motion of 3 patients with post-operative pulmonary complication (PPC group) and 8 controls (CG). The SLP measurements were made before surgery and every day after surgery until discharge date.

Results

On day 1 after surgery there was a significant difference in % change (compared to the value before surgery) in the level of synchronisation of the rib cage and the abdomen, between the CG and the PPC group 28 +/- 39 % and 90 +/- 99% respectively p <0.05 (Table 1). None of the patients were clinically diagnosed with pneumonia in the 1st post-operative day. PPC score was not diagnostic of PPC in the 1st post-operative day. PPC score was diagnostic of PPC only on day 2 after surgery.

Conclusion

Our data showed how SLP could detect signs of PPC in the first post-operative day by analysing chest wall motion before the clinical diagnosis (or PPC scoring system diagnosis) of PPC could be made.