Postoperative pulmonary function in children. Comparison of scoliosis with peripheral surgery.

We measured lung volumes, forced expirograms, and arterial blood gases in 2 groups of elective pediatric surgical patients (mean age, 11.4 +/- SD 2.8; n = 11, 12 operations) the day prior to surgery (control) and between the first and eighth postoperative days. The patients were Group I: peripheral surgery (n = 6) and Group II: reconstructive surgery for scoliosis (n = 5). The preoperative lung volumes and forced expiratory volume in one second were within the predicted normal range in both groups, except for a reduction in total lung capacity (TLC) and vital capacity (VC) in Group II. The postoperative lung volumes in Group I were not significantly different from the preoperative volumes. In group II, on postoperative Days 2 and 3, the lung volumes as a percent of preoperative volumes (mean +/- SEM) were VC, 44 +/- 11; functional residual capacity (FRC), 81 +/- 6; residual volume, 124 +/- 10; TLC, 61 +/- 10. Although the mean FRC returned to the preoperative volume by postoperative Days 5 and 6, the VC and its components remained reduced on postoperative Days 5, 6, and 8. We conclude that postoperative lung volume abnormalities are related to the site and magnitude of surgery and associated phenomena, such as pain, and preoperative respiratory function abnormalities.