Relationship between Preoperative Pulmonary Function Test Parameters and Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Laparoscopic Obesity Surgery

Purpose: The value of preoperative spirometry in laparoscopic obesity surgery is a subject of debate. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between preoperative pulmonary function tests (PFT) and postoperative pulmonary complications. Materials and Methods: The study included 73 patients who were evaluated in the pulmonology department before bariatric surgery at a training and research hospital in Izmir, Turkey. Demographic data, pulmonary function, and postoperative complications were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Seventeen patients (23.3%) had abnormal preoperative PFT results, while postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (9.6%). Age, gender, surgery duration, and abnormal pulmonary function patterns were found to be significant factors in the development of complications (p=0.026, 0.047, 0.004, and 0.024, respectively). In multivariate analysis, surgery duration was identified as statistically significant in relation to complications (p=0.009). Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients with abnormalities in preoperative PFT may have an increased risk of postoperative complications. In this context, preoperative PFT assessment in bariatric surgery could influence surgical and postoperative monitoring decisions, especially for patients at higher risk of complications.