Respiratory Failure Complicating General Surgery

The most common complications following surgery in the average general hospital are probably respiratory. These range from a minor plate of atelectasis to severe cardiorespiratory insufficiency, and they may increase the cost of treatment, lengthen convalescence and occasionally cause severe ill‐health or even death. In an era of the performance of increaszngly bold surgery on elderly patients and of increasing violence, particularly on the roads, the treatment of respiratory complications is becoming more and more a problem for the surgical team. The various problems encountered are discussed in this paper.