A Comparative Analysis of Pulmonary Function Tests Before and After Major Abdominal Surgeries Performed Under General Anaesthesia among Diabetic Individuals

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic condition characterized by both microvascular and macrovascular complications. While the pulmonary manifestations of diabetes mellitus have not been extensively studied, pulmonary function tests (PFTs) serve as valuable noninvasive tools for assessing lung function.This study aimed to compare the pulmonary function tests before and after surgery among individuals with type 2 diabetes and those without diabetes undergoing elective major abdominal surgeries under general anesthesia.

Materials & Methods: A cohort of 100 patients (comprising 50 with diabetes and 50 without diabetes) undergoing elective major abdominal surgeries under general anesthesia participated in this study. Pulmonary function tests were conducted 60 minutes before and after surgery which included forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC ratio, forced expiratory flow at 25% of FVC (FEF 25%), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR).

Results: The majority of participants fell within the 51-55 years age bracket, with mean ages of 52.9 ± 4.8 years for the diabetic group and 51.3 ± 4.8 years for the non-diabetic group. Male participants outnumbered females in both groups. Baseline characteristics did not significantly differ between the two groups. However, diabetic patients exhibited significantly reduced PFT parameters post operatively compared to pre-operative values, except for the FEV1/FVC ratio.

Conclusion: Among individuals with type 2 diabetes undergoing elective major abdominal surgeries, there was a notable decrease in mean scores of PFTs post operatively when compared to pre-operative values, except for the FEV1/FVC ratio.