Wildfires linked to longer postop hospital stay following lung cancer surgery, study finds

Editor's Note

A new study led by Leticia Nogueira, PhD, MPH, scientific director of Health Services Research at the American Cancer Society indicates, found that exposure to wildfires may influence how long patients remain in the hospital after undergoing surgery for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), Cancer Network March 26 reports. Drawing on earlier research that linked wildfire exposure to worse survival in patients recovering from lung cancer surgery, investigators sought to determine if surgical oncologists, in the absence of formal guidelines, were keeping patients hospitalized longer during wildfire events.

According to Dr Nogueira, the rationale behind this work stemmed from a prior study showing patients exposed to wildfires post-discharge had higher mortality rates, noted the article. In discussions with healthcare professionals, it emerged that extending hospital stays could be a possible protective measure. To validate this, researchers analyzed length-of-stay data for patients recovering at facilities that experienced active wildfires and compared it with those treated at facilities without wildfire exposure.

The results revealed a clear difference: the average postoperative hospital stay was 7.45 days for patients at facilities with no wildfire activity and 9.42 days for those at facilities exposed to wildfires. In other words, patients recovering in a wildfire-affected area remained in the hospital for approximately 2 more days than similar patients treated during non-wildfire periods. Notably, the analysis accounted for variables such as patient age, gender, tumor type, and surgical procedure—strongly suggesting that wildfires themselves played a significant role in extending postoperative hospitalization.

These findings emphasize the need for clear guidance on managing surgical patients during environmental crises. Although formal clinical or disaster guidelines are not yet available, Dr Nogueira’s research points to a potential improvised strategy that some providers are already using: keeping patients hospitalized longer to safeguard recovery. This additional hospital time may reduce exposure to poor air quality and other health risks associated with wildfires, though further studies are needed to confirm whether such measures improve long-term survival.