As a result of advances in the cardiac surgical and anesthetic techniques, more patients have been recently referred to cardiac surgery [1,2]. Patients undergoing a cardiac surgical procedure tend to be older and sicker because of the aging population nowadays [1,2]. Dyspnea in the early postoperative period is a major complaint, and postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) still remain one of the major causes of morbidity, mortality, increased cost, and prolonged hospital stay after cardiac surgery, particularly in this patient group [1,3-9]. Predicting the high-risk patients for PPCs causing dyspnea and developing a plan to reduce the risk is worthwhile [1,6,9]. Several studies were conducted to investigate the incidence of the PPCs following cardiac surgery [8]. These studies reported diverse results, because of the different patient groups and the variability of the signs and symptoms in a spectrum ranging from dyspnea, cough, and fever to respiratory failure requiring reintubation [8,9]. The success of the surgery is to some extent associated with the effective prevention and management of the PPCs [2]. After general anesthesia, some patients may suffer from dyspnea. However, causes of dyspnea may differ because of the incision, operation site, cardiopulmonary bypass, and internal thoracic artery harvesting, which are unique to cardiac surgery. Although cardiac surgeons are familiar with the patients suffering from dyspnea in the early postoperative period, occasionally, a consultation with a pulmonologist is required to overcome the issue in some patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence, causes, and the risk factors of PPCs causing dyspnea in the early postoperative period after cardiac surgery in this particular patient group.