Abstract: Abstract：Objective To investigate the value of peak expiratory flow (PEF) in the prediction of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) for lung cancer patients undergoing lobectomy. Methods A total of 150 lung cancer patients admitted to our hospital were included in this study. All patients underwent lobectomy. According to whether PPC occurred or not after surgery, the patients were divided into PPC group (n=29) and no PPC group (n=121). Data of general clinical information, PEF and PPC were collected for further analysis. The risk factors of PPC were analyzed by logistic regression analysis, and the predictive value of PEF on PPC was evaluated by ROC curve. Results Compared with the patients without PPC, there was an increased proportion of patients with COPD, decreased PEF, and prolonged length of hospital stay in PPC patients (P＜0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that the history of COPD (OR=2.017, 95% CI: 1.655-5.037) was an independent risk factor for PPC after lobectomy, and increased PEF (OR=0.585, 95% CI：0.255-0.793) was a protective factor for PPC. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of PPC predicted by PEF was 0.773 (95% CI: 0.742- 0.803), and the best critical value was 297 L / min (sensitivity 68.6%, specificity 79.2%). Conclusion The lower PEF is significantly associated with the increased PPC in lung cancer patients receiving lobectomy. PEF is an useful tool in perioperative management of lung cancer candidates.

Key words: lung neoplasm, pneumonectomy, peak expiratory flow, postoperative pulmonary complications, predictive value