Mayo issues quality standards for lung surgery

This week, a team of Mayo Clinic chest surgeons released a list of pre-op and post-op quality indicators for lung surgery. The quality guidelines, if effective, should have a significant impact on the clinical world, as lung cancer is more common than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined, notes study leader and Mayo chest surgeon Stephen Cassivi.

To develop their quality indicator list, the team analyzed records from 606 lung-surgery patients, aged 2 to 93. What did they conclude? Before surgery, the team recommends, lung surgeons should perform pulmonary function and electrocardiogram tests, offer cessation help to patients who smoke and determine the stage the patient's cancer has reached. After surgery, surgery teams should teach patients to increase lung capacity (incentive spirometry), respond to hearty-rhythm disturbances quickly, work to prevent possible deep vein blood clots, reduce patient pain and plan follow-up care before discharge.

For more detail on the standards:
- read this United Press International article

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