Measurements
Pulmonary function measurements were performed preoperatively
and on the fourth postoperative day (Jaeger MasterScreen
PFT/Bodybox; Spiropharma Cardiopulmonary Diagnostics;
Klampenborg, Denmark) with proprietary software. The equipment
was calibrated every morning prior to measurements. Six
medical laboratory technicians who were unaware of the patient’s
randomization performed the tests. The patients were in a sitting
position, and a nose clip was used. Predicted values for pulmonary
function were related to age, sex, and height according to
the values reported by Quanjer et al.10 Spirometry was performed
according to the recommendations of the European Respiratory