# Risk factors of respiratory tract infection in patients after surgery under general anesthesia and nursing countermeasures

## TL;DR

This study identifies risk factors for respiratory tract infections after general anesthesia surgery and suggests nursing strategies to reduce these risks.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific risk factors and provides insights into nursing countermeasures for post-surgical respiratory infections.

## Key findings

- RTI occurred in 11.76% of patients after general anesthesia surgery.
- Gram-negative bacteria were the most common pathogens in RTI cases.
- Smoking history, orotracheal intubation, delayed extubation, and lung surgery history are significant risk factors.

## Abstract

We aimed to explore the incidence rate of respiratory tract infection (RTI) in patients after surgery under general anesthesia and to analyze its risk factors and nursing countermeasures.

The clinical data of 136 patients treated from June 2020 to June 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The incidence rate of RTI within 3 d after surgery was recorded. They were divided into an infection group and a non-infection group. The distribution of pathogenic bacteria was observed, and their clinical data.

RTI occurred in 16 of 136 cases (11.76%) after surgery under general anesthesia. Eighteen strains of pathogenic bacteria were cultured from these 16 cases, including Gram-negative bacteria in 13 cases (72.22%), Gram-positive bacteria in 4 cases (22.22%), and fungi in 1 case (5.56%). In the infection group, the proportions of patients with histories of smoking and lung surgery and orotracheal intubation were higher than those of the non-infection group, and the extubation time was later (P<0.05). History of smoking, orotracheal intubation, delayed extubation, and history of lung surgery were risk factors for RTI after surgery under general anesthesia (OR>1, P<0.05).

History of smoking, orotracheal intubation, delayed extubation, and history of lung surgery may increase the risk of RTI after surgery under general anesthesia.