Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are common complications after surgery. This study aimed to present the utilization of machine learning for predicting PONV and provide insights based on a large amount of data. This retrospective study included data on perioperative features of patients, such as patient characteristics and perioperative factors, from two hospitals. Logistic regression algorithms, random forest, light-gradient boosting machines, and multilayer perceptrons were used as machine learning algorithms to develop the models. The dataset of this study included 106,860 adult patients, with an overall incidence rate of 14.4% for PONV. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the models was 0.60–0.67. In the prediction models that included only the known risk and mitigating factors of PONV, the AUROC of the models was 0.54–0.69. Some features were found to be associated with patient-controlled analgesia, with opioids being the most important feature in almost all models. In conclusion, machine learning provides valuable insights into PONV prediction, the selection of significant features for prediction, and feature engineering.

Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are significant causes of postoperative morbidity and mortality. This study presents the utilization of machine learning for predicting PPCs and aims to identify the important features of the prediction models. This study used a retrospective cohort design and collected data from two hospitals. The dataset included perioperative variables such as patient characteristics, preexisting diseases, and intraoperative factors. Various algorithms, including logistic regression, random forest, light-gradient boosting machines, extreme-gradient boosting machines, and multilayer perceptrons, have been employed for model development and evaluation. This study enrolled 111,212 adult patients, with an overall incidence rate of 8.6% for developing PPCs. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the models was 0.699–0.767, and the f1 score was 0.446–0.526. In the prediction models, except for multilayer perceptron, the 10 most important features were obtained. In feature-reduced models, including 10 important features, the AUROC was 0.627–0.749, and the f1 score was 0.365–0.485. The number of packed red cells, urine, and rocuronium doses were similar in the three models. In conclusion, machine learning provides valuable insights into PPC prediction, significant features for prediction, and the feasibility of models that reduce the number of features.

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Ko HH, et al. Korean J Pain. 2009 Apr;22(1):83-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.3344/kjp.2009.22.1.83