Incidence and Associated Factors of Postoperative Pulmonary Complications after Abdominal Surgery in the Public Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications after abdominal surgeries was high. Age >65years, duration of surgery >3 hours, preoperative SpO2% <94%, cigarette smoking, and postoperative serum albumin level <3.5 g/dl were factors strongly associated with postoperative pulmonary complications. We recommend special care for elderly patients, limit the surgical duration to less than 3 hours, treat the underlying cause of desaturation, and correct postoperative serum albumin to prevent the occurrence of postoperative pulmonary complications.