Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal decontamination with chlorhexidine gluconate in lung cancer surgery: a randomized clinical trial

Purpose Respiratory complications are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality after lung cancer surgery. We hypothesized that oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal decontamination with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) would be an effective method to reduce these complications as reported in cardiac surgery.