Resistance to Preoperative Oral Care Is Associated With Postoperative Pneumonia After Oesophageal Cancer Surgery.

BACKGROUND/AIM:Postoperative pneumonia is a serious complication of major oesophageal surgery. We aimed to clarify the association between the degree of improvement in oral hygiene by perioperative oral care and postoperative pneumonia in oesophageal cancer patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS:Oesophageal cancer patients (n=129) who underwent esophagectomy received perioperative oral care. Their oral hygiene was evaluated using the Oral Assessment Guide (OAG). The relationship between perioperative OAG scores and postoperative complications was analysed. RESULTS:The average OAG scores before starting oral care, pre-operation, and post-operation were 11.0±1.7, 9.1±1.5, and 11.2±3.0, respectively (p<0.001). An increase in preoperative OAG scores was independently associated with postoperative pneumonia on multivariate analysis (p=0.027). CONCLUSION:Preoperative oral care improves oral hygiene in patients undergoing oesophageal cancer surgery. No improvement in oral hygiene despite preoperative oral care was an independent predictor of postoperative pneumonia.