Postoperative Pneumonia in Major Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Authors

• Grant Borne, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Mark Knackstedt, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Isabella Fabian, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Ivan Alvarez, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Liam Ordoyne, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Rema A. Kandula, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Ameya Asarkar, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• Cherie-Ann Nathan, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA
• John Pang, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-12-2025

Publication Title

Head & Neck

Abstract

Background: The incidence of postoperative pneumonia (PPNA) in patients undergoing major head and neck cancer surgery has not been well established. Methods: Patients who developed PPNA undergoing major head and neck cancer (HNC) surgery from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) from the years 2017 to 2019 (n = 10 037) were analyzed using ICD-10 codes. Results: PPNA developed in 2.8% (n = 285) of patients undergoing major HNC surgery. PPNA patients had longer hospitalizations (15 [10-24] vs. 6 [3-9] days, p < 0.001; median, IQR) and had greater hospital charges (241 308 [166 976-382 982] vs. 104 697 [59 640-181 760], p < 0.001; USD; median, IQR). Regression models revealed that anemia was the greatest predisposing factor for PPNA (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 2.6-4.2) among other comorbidities such as COPD (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.6-2.7), hypertension (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0-1.7), and dementia (OR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-1.9). Conclusions: In one of the population's largest data sets, anemia and COPD were the strongest contributing factors to developing PPNA for HNC patients. PPNA was the strongest predictor of increased length of stay and hospital charges in patients undergoing major HNC surgery. Surgical pathways should directly target decreasing PPNA rates to improve outcomes and lower costs.

First Page

2439

Last Page

2447

DOI

10.1002/hed.28160

Rights

© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Recommended Citation

Borne, Grant; Knackstedt, Mark; Fabian, Isabella; Alvarez, Ivan; Ordoyne, Liam; Kandula, Rema A.; Asarkar, Ameya; Nathan, Cherie-Ann; and Pang, John, "Postoperative Pneumonia in Major Head and Neck Cancer Surgery" (2025). LSU-LCMC Cancer Center Faculty Publications. 130.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/llcc_facpubs/130
10.1002/hed.28160