Effectiveness of the ARISCAT Risk Score for Predicting Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Major Urological...

To evaluate the predictive power of the ARISCAT (assess respiratory risk in surgical patients in Catalonia) score for postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) following major urological procedures.

A descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkiye, from January to December 2023.

A total of 140 ASA I-IV patients aged 18-85 years who had elective major urological surgery were included. Records were kept including patient demographics, surgical technique, comorbidities, length of postoperative hospital stay, ASA scores, preoperative pulmonary risk scores (ARISCAT), and any PPCs occurring during hospitalisation. Appropriate statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables, Mann-Whitney U and Student's t-tests for numerical variables, and ROC analysis to evaluate the predictive power of the ARISCAT score for PPC incidence.

Of the 140 patients who had major urological surgery, 24 (17.1%) experienced postoperative pulmonary problems. The findings showed that the development of PPC was significantly correlated with the ASA and the ARISCAT scores, the amount of intraoperative fluids administered, the length of the operation, and a body mass index of 25 or above.

The ARISCAT risk score system was shown to be a simple, repeatable, economical, and effective method for forecasting the occurrence of PPC in major urological procedures. In terms of forecasting the growth of PPC, it was found that the ARISCAT score outperforms the ASA score. It was believed that implementing effective preventative measures, morbidity and mortality rates could be decreased when high-risk individuals were identified.

ASA score, ARISCAT score, Postoperative pulmonary complications, Major urological surgery.