Point of Care Ultrasound to Identify Diaphragmatic Dysfunction after Thoracic Surgery

Patients undergoing thoracic surgery are at high risk for postoperative pulmonary complicationsThe feasibility of using point of care ultrasound to diagnose diaphragmatic dysfunction is unclear WHAT THIS MANUSCRIPT TELLS US THAT IS NEW: Point of care ultrasound can be used to detect diaphragmatic dysfunction after thoracic surgeryDiaphragmatic dysfunction may be associated with postoperative pulmonary complications BACKGROUND:: Postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction after thoracic surgery is underestimated due to the lack of reproducible bedside diagnostic methods. We used point of care ultrasound to assess diaphragmatic function bedside in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic or thoracotomic lung resection. Our main hypothesis was that the thoracoscopic approach may be associated with lower incidence of postoperative diaphragm dysfunction as compared to thoracotomy. Furthermore, we assessed the association between postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction and postoperative pulmonary complications.