Sugammadex compared with neostigmine in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications in older patients: a meta-analysis

Editor—Postoperative pulmonary complications (POPCs) encompass almost any complication affecting the respiratory system after anaesthesia and surgery. Amongst POPCs, pneumonia is often considered a separate adverse outcome.1 The incidence of POPCs in major surgery appears to vary widely in the literature, ranging from <1% to 23%. Different POPC definitions and patient populations underlie these differences.1 In recent prospective2 and retrospective3–5 evaluations involving large cohorts of patients, POPC incidence was reported as 4.1%,4 5.4%,5 5.5%,3 or 7.6%,2 and amongst POPCs, postoperative pneumonia reported as 1.7%,4 2.5%,2 or 2.9%.