Evaluating the Impact of Race-Neutral Interpretation of Preoperative Pulmonary Function

Steiling discusses the study by Sheshadri and colleagues on the impact of the updated pulmonary function tests (PFT) result interpretation guidelines. They examine the association of postoperative pulmonary complications following surgical lung resection for NSCLC and preoperative PFT results interpreted using race-neutral versus race-specific Global Lung Initiative reference equations. The central finding of Sheshadri and colleagues is that race-neutral interpretation of preoperative PFT results is comparable to race-specific interpretation in the context of postoperative pulmonary complications. This finding argues against the potential for excess harm to non-Hispanic White persons via the false reassurance of adequate lung function based on race-neutral reference equations.