Pulmonary function before and after abdominal surgery in the aged.

In patients 70 years or older, pulmonary function tests were performed before and after abdominal surgery to correlate the results with the development of postoperative pulmonary complications which developed in 48% of these patients, compared to 15% in the control group. To predict the development ot PPC, preoperative analysis of the flow-volume curve is useful and 4 (V50-V25)/forced vital capacity is a valuable parameter for the analysis of the flow-volume curve. Postoperatively, pulmonary function was reduced and there was a delay in the restoration of pulmonary function in cases with postoperative pulmonary complications. The administration of appropriate analgesics may be useful to improve postoperative ventilatory disturbances.