Prevention of Postoperative Complications with Preoperative Pirfenidone1
Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who often develop postoperative complications can be treated with an anti-fibrotic agent, pirfenidone. To examine the efficacy of preoperative pirfenidone for the prevention of complications, 19% among 631 patients with IPF were treated with pirfenidone before surgery. The incidence of postoperative severe respiratory complications was compared between patients who received and did not receive pirfenidone preoperatively. Preoperative treatment with pirfenidone was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of postoperative severe respiratory complications and also in the rate of 30-day mortality. Patients with IPF can thus be benefited from minimising postoperative severe respiratory complications with preoperative pirfenidone.
References
1. Urushiyama H, et al. Respirology. 2021;26:590-596.
