Analysis of postoperative pulmonary infection and its risk factors in patients with esophageal cancer treated with thoracoscopic McKeown and thoracotomy

This study aims to compare the incidence of postoperative pulmonary infections between thoracoscopic McKeown esophagectomy and open thoracotomy for esophageal cancer, and to identify risk factors associated with this complication. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 89 patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgical treatment. Among them, 45 patients received McKeown's method via thoracoscope (laparoscopic group), and 44 patients received open chest surgery (open chest surgery group). The incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection and the levels of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), red blood cell immune complex ring rate (RBC-ICR), and red blood cell adherence to tumor cell ring rate (TRR) were compared between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors influencing postoperative pulmonary infection. Compared with total endoscopic surgery, thoracic surgery for esophageal cancer is more likely to cause pulmonary infection. Age, operation time, thoracotomy, diabetes mellitus and the level of NLR, PLR and TRR 2 days after surgery may be the risk factors for postoperative pulmonary infection.