Impact of delayed removal of pectus bar on outcomes following Nuss repair: a retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Usually, pectus bars are removed 3 years after the Nuss procedure in patients with pectus excavatum. However, the optimal timing for postoperative pectus bar removal remains undefined. Our study investigated the effects of delayed pectus bar removal after Nuss repairs. METHODS: Retrospective data were collected on patients who underwent Nuss procedures for pectus excavatum and had their bars removed from August 2014 to December 2020. Patients with correction periods > 3 years were divided into group A (< 6 years) and group B (≥ 6 years). Propensity score matching was used to compare complications and radiological outcomes associated with bar removal. RESULTS: Of the 542 patients who underwent bar removal, 451 (Group A: 419 patients, Group B: 32) had correction duration > 3 years. The average correction duration was 4.5 ± 1.4 years. After propensity score matching analysis, group B [median duration: 8.0 (6.0-16.2) years] exhibited significantly longer median operative times (85 vs. 55 min; P = 0.026), higher callus formation rates (68.8% vs. 46.9%; P = 0.029), and greater median intraoperative blood loss (35 vs. 10 mL; P = 0.017) than group A [median duration: 4.2 (3.0-5.9) years]. However, following bar removal, the groups showed no statistical differences in the surgical complication rates (group A: 6.3% vs. group B: 9.4%; P = 0.648) or median ratio of radiological improvement (an improvement on the Haller index on chest radiography; 21.0% vs. 22.2%; P = 0.308). CONCLUSIONS: Delaying pectus bar removal after Nuss repair presents certain challenges but does not compromise overall outcomes. These findings suggest that a longer correction period may be unnecessary. However, further multicenter studies with long-term follow-up are warranted to assess long-term outcomes.

Pulmonary rehabilitation improves exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, and cardiopulmonary function in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer significantly impairs exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has demonstrated positive effects on exercise capacity and HRQL in lung cancer patients. However, its impact on cardiopulmonary function needs further exploration. The aim of this study was to explore the effects of PR on cardiopulmonary function, exercise capacity and HRQL in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: Patients with lung cancer were enrolled in a 12-week PR program. Each participant underwent a thorough evaluation, which included spirometry, cardiopulmonary exercise testing, respiratory muscle strength test, and evaluation of HRQL using the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT). RESULTS: Fifty-six patients completed the PR program. Following PR, exercise capacity significantly improved, as evidenced by increased peak oxygen uptake and work rate (both p < 0.05). Exertional symptoms were notably reduced, including leg soreness and dyspnea at peak exercise, accompanied by a decrease in the CAT score (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, improvements in cardiopulmonary function were observed, encompassing respiratory muscle strength, ventilatory equivalent, tidal volume, stroke volume index, and cardiac index at peak exercise (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PR demonstrated notable enhancements in cardiopulmonary function, exertional symptoms, exercise capacity, and HRQL in patients with lung cancer.

Deep Learning-based Artificial Intelligence Improves Accuracy of Error-prone Lung Nodules.

Introduction: Early detection of lung cancer is one way to improve outcomes. Improving the detection of nodules on chest CT scans is important. Previous artificial intelligence (AI) modules show rapid advantages, which improves the performance of detecting lung nodules in some datasets. However, they have a high false-positive (FP) rate. Its effectiveness in clinical practice has not yet been fully proven. We aimed to use AI assistance in CT scans to decrease FP. Materials and methods: CT images of 60 patients were obtained. Five senior doctors who were blinded to these cases participated in this study for the detection of lung nodules. Two doctors performed manual detection and labeling of lung nodules without AI assistance. Another three doctors used AI assistance to detect and label lung nodules before manual interpretation. The AI program is based on a deep learning framework. Results: In total, 266 nodules were identified. For doctors without AI assistance, the FP was 0.617-0.650/scan and the sensitivity was 59.2-67.0%. For doctors with AI assistance, the FP was 0.067 to 0.2/scan and the sensitivity was 59.2-77.3% This AI-assisted program significantly reduced FP. The error-prone characteristics of lung nodules were central locations, ground-glass appearances, and small sizes. The AI-assisted program improved the detection of error-prone nodules. Conclusions: Detection of lung nodules is important for lung cancer treatment. When facing a large number of CT scans, error-prone nodules are a great challenge for doctors. The AI-assisted program improved the performance of detecting lung nodules, especially for error-prone nodules.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test for the measurement of deterioration and recovery of health status of patients undergoing lung surgery.

BACKGROUND: Patients with early lung cancer often undergo surgery. However, surgery usually results in a decline in health-related quality of life (HRQL). Several questionnaires have previously been used to assess HRQL but some are impractical for clinical use. The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT) is simple and has been widely used in respiratory diseases but not for lung cancer. We therefore conducted this study to clarify the role of the CAT in postoperative deterioration and recovery of HRQL. METHODS: Fifty-five patients who underwent lung resection were recruited into the study. Cardiopulmonary exercise tests and respiratory muscle strength were performed 1 week before surgery (pre-OP) and at post-OP 1 month. HRQL was assessed through the CAT and European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) 1 week pre-OP and post-OP 1 and at 2 months. RESULTS: Fifteen (27.3%) patients underwent wedge resection, four (7.3%) underwent segmentectomy, and 36 (65.5%) underwent lobectomy. After lobectomy, exercise capacity decreased significantly. The deterioration of CAT symptoms (cough, phlegm, chest tightness, dyspnea, activity, confidence, sleep disturbance, and lack of energy) was more prominent in patients who had undergone lobectomy than wedge resection. Based on the EORTC QLQ-C30, physical, role function, fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, dyspnea, and global health status worsened significantly, whereas there was no significant difference in other symptoms. HRQL recovered at post-OP 2 months in patients who had undergone wedge resection but not lobectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative HRQL and exercise capacity in patients were significantly reduced, especially those who had undergone lobectomy. The CAT significantly reflected postoperative changes in HRQL.

Differential diagnosis of atypical encephalopathy in critical care: a case report.

BACKGROUND: A lower level of consciousness is a common presentation in critical care, with many different causes and contributory factors, of which more than one may be present concurrently. CASE PRESENTATION: We described a woman with poorly controlled diabetes and steroid-dependent asthma who presented in a deep coma. She was found to have Streptococcus intermedius bacteremia and pyogenic ventriculitis that originated from right middle lobe pneumonia. Also, multiple small parenchymal lesions were observed on brain magnetic resonance imaging and increased protein concentration was noted in cerebral spinal fluid. Initially, her coma was thought to be due to diabetic ketoacidosis and septic encephalopathy. However, her lowered level of consciousness was disproportionate to either diabetic ketoacidosis or septic encephalopathy, and her clinical course was not as expected for these two conditions. Treatment with antibiotic, corticosteroid and antihelminthic drugs was administered resulting in improving consciousness. The Streptococcus intermedius pneumonia progressed to form a large cavity that needed an early surgical lobectomy and resulted in the unexpected diagnosis of chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosus. CONCLUSIONS: In critical care, a lowered level of consciousness may have many etiologies, and critical care clinicians should be familiar with the signs and symptoms of all possible causes to enable prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

The Nuss procedure for pectus excavatum: An effective and safe approach using bilateral thoracoscopy and a selective approach to use multiple bars in 296 adolescent and adult patients.

The Nuss procedure is a minimally invasive repair used to treat pectus excavatum. A bilateral thoracoscopy-assisted approach has been reported as a safe method for Nuss repair. The aim of this observational cohort study is to evaluate the application of the bilateral thoracoscopy-inspection to assist in the selection of the number of bars for correction of the pectus deformity in adolescents and adults. A retrospective chart review was performed on all adolescent and adult patients (296 patients: 257 male, 39 female; aged of 23.9 ± 7.7 years) with pectus excavatum primarily corrected with the modified Nuss repair from August 2014 to January 2018. The patients were divided into three age groups (A: 12 years ≦ age < 19 years, n = 73; B: 19 years ≦ age < 30 years, n = 175; C: age ≧ 30 years, n = 48). Advanced repair of deformed chest walls using more than one bar depended on the change detected via gross and perioperative thoracoscopy-inspection. The results showed that two or three pectus bars were used in 268 patients (90.5%). The overall complication rate after a postoperative follow-up of 28.6 ± 11 months was 6.8% (20/296), without mortality, major bleeding, or serious infectious complications. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the complications were only associated with Haller index (adjusted OR = 1.2935, p = 0.0317) under controlling confounding factors. The postoperative sternovertebral distance was significantly improved from 7.3±1.6 to 10.1± 2.8 cm (p<0.001). The thoracoscopy-assisted approach of Nuss repair for correction of pectus excavatum was safe and effective approach and could also be used as an alternative approach for the selection of placed bars in adolescent and adult patients. Further studies regarding long-term outcomes are required.

Minimization of the complications associated with bar removal after the Nuss procedure in adults.

BACKGROUND: Pectus bar removal after Nuss repair is associated with the risk of major complications that are underreported. Of these, surgical bleeding is the main concern. Old age and placement of more than one bar are reported risk factors for pectus bar removal. In this study, we presented our experience regarding the modified skills required to minimize complications during bar removal, especially in adult patients. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent pectus bar removal as the final stage of Nuss repair between August 2014 and December 2018 were included. The patients were positioned in the supine position. The bar(s) was (were) removed from the left side via the bilateral approach using the previous surgical scars after full dissection of the ends of the bar lateral to the hinge point and after straightening the right end of the bar. Bleeding was carefully checked after removal. An elastic bandage was wrapped around the chest after wound closure to prevent wound hematoma/seroma formation. RESULTS: A total of 283 patients (260 male and 23 female), with a mean age of 22.8 ± 6.6 years at the time of the Nuss repair were included. The mean duration of pectus bar maintenance interval was 4.3 years (range: 1.9 to 9.8 years). A total of 200 patients (71%) had two bars. The mean estimated blood loss was 11.7 mL (range: 10 mL to 100 mL). Nine patients (3.1%) experienced complications, six had pneumothorax and three had wound hematoma. No major bleeding occurred. Adults and the use of more than one bar were not associated with a significantly higher rate of complications (P = 0.400 and P = 0.260, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Adult patients and removal of multiple bars were not risk factors for complications in our cohort. Skill in preventing intraoperative mediastinal traction, carefully controlling bleeding, and reducing the effect of dead space around the wounds could minimize the risk of bleeding complications. A multicentric study or case accumulation is needed to further evaluate the risk factors of removal pectus bar(s).

Improvement in Polysomnographic Objective Sleep Quality in Adults with Pectus Excavatum After the Nuss Procedure.

BACKGROUND: Patients with pectus excavatum have a poorer subjective sleep quality and quality of life than the general population. The Nuss procedure has been shown to improve these patients' quality of life, but data regarding their postoperative sleep quality are lacking. We aimed to evaluate the objective sleep quality of adults with pectus excavatum before and after the Nuss procedure. METHODS: Twenty-eight participants completed this study. Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores for daytime sleepiness, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores for subjective sleep quality, and overnight polysomnography for objective sleep quality were evaluated before and 6 months after the Nuss procedure. RESULTS: Subjective sleep quality improved after the Nuss procedure. The median PSQI score decreased from 7 [interquartile range (IQR): 5; 9] to 5 (IQR: 4; 7, p = 0.029); the median percentage of poor PSQI sleep quality decreased from 64.3 to 35.7% (p = 0.048). The median percentage of rapid eye movement sleep significantly increased after surgery [15.6% (IQR: 12.2%; 19.8%) vs. 20.4% (IQR: 14.5%; 24.9%), p = 0.016]. Sleep interruptions also improved, with the median arousal index decreasing from 9.5 (IQR: 4.8; 18.2) to 8.2 (IQR: 4.3; 12.1; p = 0.045). However, there was no significant change in ESS scores after surgery (p = 0.955). CONCLUSIONS: Pectus excavatum may be associated with poor subjective and objective sleep quality in adults, and the condition may improve after the Nuss procedure. For adults with pectus excavatum who report poor subjective sleep quality, polysomnography should be considered to assess their preoperative and postoperative sleep condition.

Successful percutaneous tracheostomy via puncture through the thyroid isthmus.

Tracheostomy is one of the most frequently performed procedures in intensive care units. Bedside percutaneous tracheostomy has become an increasingly popular option to standard open tracheostomy. Several contraindications for percutaneous tracheostomy, including an enlarged thyroid isthmus, have been described. However, as experience with this technique has increased, most of the described contraindications appear to be relative rather than absolute, provided the procedure is performed by an experienced practitioner. Herein we present a case of an unavoidable direct puncture of the thyroid isthmus during a percutaneous tracheostomy. The procedure was performed smoothly, and no complications occurred.