Effective factors on postoperative 30-90 and 360-day mortality in non-small cell lung cancer

Postoperative mortality and morbidity are serious problems, and the identification of risky patient groups will reduce mortality and morbidity rates. The aim of our study was to determine the mortality at 30, 90, and 360 days in patients who underwent surgical resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In this single-center retrospective study, 935 patients who were operated on for NSCLC were included. Demographic characteristics, laboratory data, tumor characteristics, surgical method used, type of resection, postoperative complications, and the relationship between 30, 90, and 360-day mortality were analyzed.

In-hospital mortality was observed in 21 (2.2 %) of the 935 patients; the 30-90-360-day mortality rate was respectively 3 %, 4.9 %, and 12.1 %. The 30- and 90-day mortality rates were close (3 %, 4.9 % respectively), and the only difference was the additional surgical procedure. The common factors that increased 30-, 90-, and 360-day mortality were advanced disease stage, additional surgical procedure, length of stay longer than 7 days, low % forced vital capacity (FVC), presence of comorbidities, presence of postoperative complications, and pneumonectomy.

In this study, 30-, 90-, and 360-day mortality rates and common and independent risk factors affecting mortality were determined. Although 30-day mortality is the most often utilized time period for assessing postoperative mortality, 90-day mortality can be used to predict postoperative mortality following a major surgical procedure. Preoperative mortality and morbidity are expected to decrease with more detailed preoperative examination of high-risk patients and special follow-up programs in the postoperative period.