To retrospectively analyze the effect of transitional nursing on reducing postoperative pulmonary infection after esophageal cancer operation in thoracic surgery intensive care unit (ICU) .

Patients with esophageal cancer were divided into experimental group and control group according to whether they entered the thoracic surgery ICU for transitional care after operation. The experimental group was transferred to the thoracic surgery ICU for observation and treatment for 2-3 days, and then returned to the general ward. During the ICU period, in addition to the routine postoperative care of esophageal cancer, it focused on strengthening airway management. When patients were transferred out of ICU, they could effectively cough and expectorate independently, had no sputum storage in the respiratory tract, and could walk independently or with the assistance. The control group received routine nursing according to the postoperative care of esophageal cancer.

The age, gender, body mass index (BMI), smoking index, history of hypertension, history of diabetes, history of asthma, ratio of first second of expiratory volume/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) to the predicted value, maximum voluntary ventilation percentage (MVV%), location of esophageal tumor, operative method, American Standards Association (ASA) grade, operative time, ventilator-assisted breathing, bleeding during operation and postoperative tumor TNM staging were compared between the experimental group and the control group. There was no significant difference in the factors that may affect the incidence of pulmonary infection (P>0.05). The rate of postoperative sputum suction through nasal or oral with sputum suction tube in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group (66.67% vs 16.67%, P<0.001). The incidence of postoperative pulmonary infection was lower than that in control group (7.02% vs 27.08%, P<0.001). The postoperative hospital stay was shorter than that in the control group (13.75±2.21 days vs 16.40±2.79 days, P<0.001) .

After esophageal cancer surgery, transitional nursing in thoracic surgery ICU and strengthening airway management can effectively reduce the incidence of pulmonary infection, which is advantageous to the recovery and can reduce postoperative hospital stay.