Preoperative quality of life predicts complications in thoracic surgery: a retrospective cohort study.

Self-reported preoperative HRQOL can predict incidence of postoperative complications among patients undergoing thoracic surgery. Assessments of preoperative HRQOL may help identify patients at higher risk for developing complications. These findings could be used to direct preoperative risk-mitigation strategies in areas of HRQOL where patients suffer most, such as pain. The full perioperative trajectory of patient HRQOL should be discerned to identify subsets of patients who share common risk factors.