23. The role of pulmonary rehabilitation in reducing postoperative pneumonia following lung resection in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Main Article Content
Abstract
Postoperative pneumonia is a common respiratory complication in patients with lung cancer, increasing mortality rate and prolonging hospital stay. This study aimed to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in preventing postoperative pneumonia in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing lung resection. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following PRISMA guidelines, with data obtained from PubMed and the Cochrane Library (01/2020 - 06/2025). Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2.0, evidence quality was evaluated according to the GRADE system, and reporting quality was based on the CONSORT 2010 checklist. A total of 879 patients from randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. Results showed that PR significantly reduced the incidence of postoperative pneumonia compared to control (RR = 0.74; 95% CI: 0.55 - 0.99; P = 0.04), while its effects on atelectasis and length of hospital stay were not statistically significant. Pulmonary rehabilitation shows potential in preventing postoperative pneumonia; however, further high-quality randomized trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness.
Article Details
Keywords
Pulmonary rehabilitation, lung cancer, lung resection, postoperative pneumonia, randomized controlled trial
References
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