Resumen:
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to compare in-hospital, 30-day and non-cancer-related 6-month death rates in a series of right and left pneumonectomy cases matched according to functional parameters.
METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted a series of 263 non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent pneumonectomy. Left and right pneumonectomy cases were matched according to propensity scores using the following variables: age, coronary artery disease, any other cardiac comorbidity and predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in the 1st second (ppoFEV1). After matching, 89 pairs of cases were selected. In-hospital, 30-day and 6-month crude and risk-adjusted death rates not related to cancer relapse or distant metastases were calculated for right and left pneumonectomy and compared on 2-by-2 tables using odds ratios. Death hazards were estimated by Cox regression, introducing the following independent variables in the model: age, cardiac comorbidity, ppoFEV1 and occurrence of any postoperative cardiorespiratory complication or bronchial fistula.
RESULTS: Non-cancer-related in-hospital, 30-day and 6-month death rates were, respectively, 8.4 (3.4 in left and 13.5 in right cases; P = 0.015), 11.8 (7.8 in left and 15.7 in right cases; P = 0.10) and 18.5% (12.4 in left and 24.7 in right cases; P = 0.033). On Cox regression, age, right pneumonectomy and the occurrence of postoperative cardiorespiratory complications (but not bronchial fistula) were related to the risk
