Bleomycin and subsequent anaesthesia: a retrospective study at Vancouver General Hospital

A retrospective review was made of 20 surgical procedures in 14 patients with testicular carcinoma, previously treated with bleomycin chemotherapy, to evaluate the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. Other studies have suggested an increased rate of pulmonary complications, including fatal respiratory failure, when inspired oxygen fraction (FIO2) exceeds 0.3 during or after operation. There is a suggestion that bleomycin may sensitize the lungs to the effect of oxygen, leading to oxygen toxicity. This study involved patients whose inspired oxygen fraction ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 and only one non-fatal pulmonary complication occurred. The risks of anaesthesia following bleomycin are discussed with particular reference to possible enhanced oxygen toxicity.