Evaluating Fluid Strategies in Thoracic Surgery Patients Utilizing a Goal Directed Approach

The purpose of this study is to conduct a prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing a restrictive vs. conservative fluid strategy in thoracic surgery patients. Excessive perioperative fluid has been retrospectively implicated in the development postoperative acute lung injury (PALI) and pulmonary edema following lung resection. However, fluid restriction in these patients is not without risk and may compromise end organ perfusion (i.e. acute kidney injury). The hypothesis is that a conservative fluid approach in thoracic surgery patients will result in better end organ perfusion with fewer occasions of acute kidney injury (AKI) without causing an increase in postoperative acute lung injury or pulmonary edema.