Sources of pathogens causing pleuropulmonary infections after lung cancer resection

Objective: The source of pathogens responsible for pleuropulmonary complications after lung resection is not yet completely understood, yet knowing this source is very important for proper perioperative use of antibiotics in lung surgery. We studied prospectively the value of sputum samples ‐ collected 3 days before and 3 days after surgery ‐ and of intraoperative bronchial swabs in the diagnosis of infective pulmonary complications following lung cancer resection. Methods: In a prospective trial, we studied 194 patients (18 women and 176 men, age range 34‐79 years, mean 57 years) who were operated on for lung cancer. The infection screen consisted of intraoperative bronchial swabs, and sputum samples obtained prior to and 3 days after surgery. Before the operation, all patients were free of clinical signs of respiratory infection. In patients with postoperative infection, causative pathogens were identified from sputum, tracheal aspirate, thoracic puncture and thoracic drainage fluids. Results: Thirty-four patients suffered from 32 pleuropulmonary infections, and two from wound infection. Pathogenic organisms were isolated from preoperative and postoperative sputum samples and from intraoperative bronchial swabs in 50, 64 and 27% of patients, respectively. Postoperative infective complications were caused by gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans in 75% of patients. These potential pathogens were recovered from preoperative sputum samples and from intraoperative bronchial swabs in only 18 and 13% of cases, but from postoperative sputum samples in 63% of cases. A strong correlation in identified pathogens was found between the postoperative sputum samples and the samples collected for microbiological diagnosis of subsequent postoperative infective complications (P , 0:01). Conclusions: Our results indicate that pathogens that cause pleuropulmonary infective complications are probably acquired postoperatively from the patient’s oral cavity, pharynx and hypopharynx. Appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis is discussed. q 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.