Tsai KY, et al. - In this retrospective analysis, researchers sought the possible risk factors for pulmonary complications that arise after liver surgery and are associated with increased length of hospital stay and higher cost. They retrospectively identified and analyzed 363 consecutive patients who underwent elective hepatectomies between July 2008 and November 2013. In this series, pleural effusion was identified as the predominant pulmonary complication. Postoperative pleural effusion was associated with older age, higher body mass index (BMI), chronic obstructive lung disease, asthma, heart disease, hepatitis C infection, heavy smoking, American Society of Anesthesiology class III and IV, hepatectomy site, combined surgeries, perioperative blood transfusion, and cirrhosis of liver. Reduction in morbidity and improvement in short-term surgical outcomes may be achieved by identification and management of some of these factors.