Risk Factors for Post-Operative Pulmonary Infection in Patients With Brain Tumors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: This study aims to analyze the risk factors for post-operative pulmonary infection in patients with brain tumors by meta-analysis to provide a reference for its prevention. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Ovid, and four Chinese databases (CNKI, SinoMed, VIP, and Wanfang databases) were searched for studies covering risk factors of pulmonary infection in patients with brain tumors, limited to the duration from the dates of inception of the respective databases to December 31, 2022. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the evidence. A meta-analysis of the factors affecting the incidence of pulmonary infection was performed using Revman 5.4 software. Results: Twelve studies were selected, covering 35,615 patients with brain tumors, among whom pulmonary infection occurred in 1,635 cases with an accumulated incidence of 4.6%, including 38 related risk factors. Meta-analysis results indicated: history of chronic pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 5.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.34–24.51; p = 0.02], diabetes mellitus (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.29–1.95; p < 0.0001), history of cardiovascular disease (OR, 3.97; 95% CI, 2.18–7.24; p < 0.00001), age ≥60 years (OR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.12–2.15; p = 0.009)], operation time ≥3 hours (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00–1.05; p = 0.03], Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score <13 (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.90–6.46; p < 0.0001), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists classification (ASA) ≥3 (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.68–2.46; p < 0.00001) as independent risk factors. Conclusions: History of chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, history of cardiovascular disease, age ≥60 years, operation time ≥3 hours, GCS score <13, and the ASA grade ≥3 are independent risk factors for post-operative pulmonary infection in patients with brain tumors, which nursing staff should be aware of.