At the beginning of the last century, Pasteur described postoperative pulmonary atelectasis, analysed postoperative pulmonary complications (PCC; see below) and noted: ‘when the true history of postoperative lung complications comes to be written, active collapse of the lung, from deficiency of inspiratory power, will be found to occupy an important position among determining causes’. Indeed, atelectasis occurs regularly during general anaesthesia induction, persists postoperatively and may contribute to significant morbidity and additional healthcare costs.
This review article will review the mechanism of perioperative atelectasis, discuss its clinical significance and describe preventive measures.
