Factors influencing postoperative morbidity and mortality in patients treated with bleomycin

Abstract

Patients treated with bleomycin are at risk of developing the acute adult respiratory distress syndrome postoperatively. In a prospective study of 12 patients who had received bleomycin preoperatively and were under-going removal of retroperitoneal lymph nodes or pulmonary metastases several preventive factors were established. These were the use of low concentrations of inspired oxygen during operation and in the immediate postoperative period, careful monitoring of fluid replacement, and restriction of crystalloids in favour of colloids. © 1978, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.