Preoperative statin administration does not protect against early postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Statins have been shown to possess antiinflammatory and immunomodulatory effects. In this study, we sought to determine if preoperative statin therapy is associated with a reduced frequency of postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in surgical populations at increased risk of developing ARDS.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort evaluation of the association between preoperative statin therapy and early postoperative ARDS in patients undergoing elective high-risk thoracic and aortic vascular surgery.