The ARISCAT Risk Index as a Predictor of Pulmonary Complications After Thoracic Surgeries, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary complications after thoracic surgery are common and are associated with prolonged hospital stay, higher costs, and increased mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the value of The Assess Respiratory risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia (ARISCAT) risk index in predicting pulmonary complications after thoracic surgery. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from August 2016 to August 2019 and included 108 patients who underwent thoracic surgery during the study period. Demographic data, ARISCAT risk index score, length of hospital stay, time of chest tube removal, postoperative complications, and time of discharge were recorded. RESULTS: The study involved 108 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Their mean age was 42.5 ± 18.9 years, and most of them were men (67.6%). Comorbid diseases were present in 53.7%, including mainly type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. FEV1% was measured in 58 patients, with a mean of 71.1 ± 7.3%. The mean ARISCAT score was 39.3 ± 12.4 and ranged from 24 to 76, with more than one-third (35.2%) having a high score grade. The most common surgical procedures were thoracotomy in 47.2%, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) in 28.7%, and mediastinoscopy in 17.6%. Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) occurred in 22 patients (20.4%), mainly pneumonia and atelectasis (9.2%). PPCs occurred most frequently during thoracotomy (68.2%), followed by VATS (13.6%), and mediastinoscopy (9.1%). Multinomial logistic regression of significant risk factors showed that lower FEV1% (OR = 0.88 [0.79–0.98]; p=0.017), longer ICU length of stay (OR = 1.53 [1.04–2.25]; p=0.033), a higher ARISCAT score (OR = 1.22 [1.02–1.47]; p=0.040), and a high ARISCAT grade (OR = 2.77 [1.06–7.21]; p=0.037) were significant predictors of the occurrence of postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: ARISCAT scoring system, lower FEV1% score, and longer ICU stay were significant predictors of postoperative complications. In addition, thoracotomy was also found to be associated with PPCs.