Cardiac surgery can cause significant alterations in hemodynamics and physiology upon the human body，leading to pathophysiological changes in the patients. Postoperative pulmonary complications have a higher morbidity and mortality in the cardiac surgical population，being a leading cause of prolonged hospital stay and repeated ICU stay. This condition has increased consumption of medical resources and financial burden to health care systems. Due to the postoperative nursing for these patients，a physician needs to understand the changes in the cardiopulmonary system and promptly and effectively provides early prevention and treatment for possible complications. In this review，we highlight the prevalence，risk factors，clinical characteristics，and management of the postoperative pulmonary complications after cardiac surgery.