The Effect of General and Spinal Anaesthesia on Pulmonary Function Tests in Geriatric Patients

Abstract

Introduction:This study aimed to compare the effects of general and spinal anaesthesia on pulmonary function tests (PFT) in the postoperative period among patients aged ≥65 years.Methods:This prospective study included a total of 60 patients aged ≥65 years with American Society of Anesthesiologists I-III. General anaesthesia was applied to group I while spinal anaesthesia was applied to group II. PFTs were performed in all the patients in the preoperative evaluation and were repeated at the 2nd and 24th postoperative hours. Comparison of the results was done both within and between the groups.Results:A comparison between the groups showed that both in the preoperative and postoperative periods, forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1/FVC, Tiffeneau ratio), forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of the FVC (FEF25- 75), peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory time values were not statistically significant (p>0.05). However, when the patients were compared within the groups, a statistically significant decrease in FEV1 and FVC values was found in the postoperative spirometric measurements in both groups compared to the preoperative period (p<0.05).Conclusion:General or spinal anaesthesia adversely affects PFTs in elderly patients.

Keywords

• elderly
• general anaesthesia
• spinal anaesthesia
• pulmonary function tests