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Early risk stratification of postoperative pneumonia after brain tumor surgery using routine perioperative variables:
Hongliang Mao1, Fengchun Mu1, Xinyu Wang1
1Department of Neurosurgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
Background:
Early postoperative pneumonia (POP) is a common and serious complication after brain tumor surgery, but early recognition is difficult because postoperative neurological dysfunction and respiratory symptoms are often non-specific. Existing models are mostly retrospective, not designed for neurosurgical patients, and rarely prospectively validated across centers. We aimed to develop an interpretable model for early POP risk stratification.
Methods:
We used routine perioperative data from 1,856 patients undergoing brain tumor surgery at multiple centers in China between 2022 and 2025. Ten machine learning algorithms were compared. From 41 candidate variables, 11 predictors were selected using correlation analysis and LASSO. The final locked model was prospectively tested in one internal temporal cohort and three external cohorts. Performance was assessed by AUC, calibration, and decision curve analysis. Interpretability was evaluated using SHAP, a nomogram, and a web calculator.
Results:
Logistic regression showed the best overall performance, with an AUC of 0.897 (95% CI, 0.842-0.952) in the internal cohort and a mean AUC of 0.876 ± 0.044 across the three external cohorts. Key predictors included chronic lung disease (CLD), diabetes mellitus (DM), body mass index (BMI), admission Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), and preoperative albumin (Alb) and glucose (Glu).
Conclusion:
This interpretable 11-variable model enables early POP risk stratification after brain tumor surgery and may support timely preventive intervention in neurosurgical care.