Full Length ArticleRisk factors for postoperative pneumonia after microsurgery for vestibular schwannoma

•We studied the risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after microsurgery for vestibular schwannoma.•Older age, diabetes mellitus and Koos grade IV were identified as independent risk factors for postoperative pneumonia after microsurgery for vestibular schwannoma.•Postoperative pneumonia caused a prolonged hospital stay.

ObjectivesPostoperative complications occurred in about 30% patients after vestibular schwannoma (VS) microsurgical excision. Although many specific complications have been extensively studied, postoperative pneumonia (POP) has received little attention. This study was designed to identify the risk factors for POP after microsurgery for VS.Patients and methodsPatients undergoing VS microsurgical resection (n = 244) between December 2014 and November 2016 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University were retrospectively assessed for POP. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for POP.ResultsPOP (Clavien-Dindo grade II or higher) was diagnosed in 29 (11.9%) patients. Univariate analysis revealed that age (≥60 years; p = 0.013), diabetes mellitus (DM; p = 0.040) and Koos grade IV (p = 0.017) were significantly associated with POP. Multivariate analysis revealed that these factors were all independent risk factors for POP. Association between POP and prolonged postoperative hospitalization was also revealed. However, no risk factor associated with severity of POP was found in this study.ConclusionOlder age, DM and Koos grade IV were identified as independent risk factors for POP after microsurgery for VS Moreover, POP caused a prolonged hospital stay.