The Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Combined radiographic and ultrasonographic assessment of postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction after cardiac surgery: incidence, predictors, and clinical outcomes — a prospective cohort study
Abstract Background Reported incidences of postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction vary widely, largely because diagnostic criteria differ and preoperative imaging is seldom available; whether anatomical elevation, contractile impairment, or their combination carries clinical consequence is undefined, and the reproducibility of any composite definition has not been established. We prospectively studied 169 adults undergoing cardiac surgery, pairing standardised pre- and postoperative chest radiography with quantita …