Morbidity and mortality after pneumonectomy.

Although advances in perioperative management have improved outcome following pneumonectomy, it remains a relatively high-risk thoracic surgical procedure. A 30-day mortality rate of 5% to 10% is reported in most modern series. A higher rate is expected for complex procedures and in the setting of pneumonectomy performed for benign disease. A number of risk factors predictive of poor outcome have been described and are reviewed in this article. Pneumonectomy is also associated with a higher complication rate (predominantly cardiopulmonary in nature) than lesser resections.