Preoperative lactate dehydrogenase-to-albumin ratio as a nutrition–inflammation index associated with postoperative pneumonia after McKeown esophagectomy: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundPostoperative pneumonia is a frequent and clinically consequential complication after esophagectomy. The lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)-to-albumin ratio (LAR) integrates LDH-associated metabolic-inflammatory burden and albumin-associated nutritional-inflammatory reserve, but its association with postoperative pneumonia after McKeown esophagectomy remains unclear. This study evaluated whe...