"Prohibitive" lung function and major surgical procedures.

Sixteen patients with preoperative pulmonary function testing data placing them in the "prohibitive" range underwent major surgical procedures with one mortality (6 per cent) and three major pulmonary complications (19 per cent). All complications were after pulmonary resections in patients with marked muscular weakness. Patients should not be denied necessary operative procedures on the basis of pulmonary function testing placing them in the "prohibitive" range of the Miller quadrant diagram alone. This term should be changed to "increased risk."