Readmission after enhanced recovery video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery wedge resection.

BACKGROUND: Despite the implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs, surgical stress continues to influence postoperative rehabilitation, including the period after discharge. However, there is a lack of data available beyond the point of discharge following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) wedge resection. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate incidence and risk factors for readmissions after ERAS VATS wedge resection. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on data from prospectively collected consecutive VATS wedge resections from June 2019 to June 2022. We evaluated main reasons related to wedge resection leading to 90-day readmission, early (occurring within 0-30 days postoperatively) and late readmission (occurring within 31-90 days postoperatively). To identify predictors for these readmissions, we utilized a logistic regression model for both univariable and multivariable analyses. RESULTS: A total of 850 patients (non-small cell lung cancer 21.5%, metastasis 44.7%, benign 31.9%, and other lung cancers 1.9%) were included for the final analysis. Median length of stay was 1 day (IQR 1-2). During the postoperative 90 days, 86 patients (10.1%) were readmitted mostly due to pneumonia and pneumothorax. Among the cohort, 66 patients (7.8%) had early readmissions primarily due to pneumothorax and pneumonia, while 27 patients (3.2%) experienced late readmissions mainly due to pneumonia, with 7 (0.8%) patients experiencing both early and late readmissions. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that male gender, pulmonary complications, and neurological complications were associated with readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Readmission after VATS wedge resection remains significant despite an optimal ERAS program, with pneumonia and pneumothorax as the dominant reasons. Early readmission was primarily associated with pneumothorax and pneumonia, while late readmission correlated mainly with pneumonia.

Achieving opioid-free discharge following robotic thoracic surgery: A single-institution experience.

Objectives: Enhanced recovery after thoracic surgery (ERATS) protocols use a combination of analgesics for pain control and have been associated with decreased opioid requirements. We investigated the impact of continual ERATS refinement on the incidence of opioid-free discharge. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed our prospectively maintained institutional database for elective, opioid-naive robotic thoracoscopic procedures. Demographics, operative outcomes, postoperative opioid dispensed (morphine milligram equivalent), and opioid discharge status were collected. Our primary outcome of interest was factors associated with opioid-free discharge; our secondary objective was to determine the incidence of new persistent opioid users. Results: In total, 466 patients from our optimized ERATS protocol were included; 309 (66%) were discharged without opioids. However, 34 (11%) of patients discharged without opioids required a prescription postdischarge. Conversely, 7 of 157 patients (11%), never filled their opioid prescriptions given at discharge. Factors associated with opioid-free discharges were nonanatomic resections, mediastinal procedures, minimal pain, and lack of opioid usage on the day of discharge. More importantly, 3.2% of opioid-free discharge patients became new persistent opioid users versus 10.8% of patients filling opioid prescriptions after discharges (P = .0013). Finally, only 2.3% of opioid-naive patients of the entire cohort became chronic opioid users; there was no difference in the incidence of chronic use by opioid discharge status. Conclusions: Optimized opioid-sparing ERATS protocols are highly effective in reducing opioid prescription on the day of discharge. We observed a very low rate of new persistent or chronic opioid use in our cohort, further highlighting the role ERATS protocols in combating the opioid epidemic.

Retrospective single-arm cohort study of video-assisted thoracic surgery for treatment of idiopathic peripherally located simple type pulmonary arteriovenous malformation in 23 consecutive patients.

BACKGROUND: Although case reports of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) have been published, studies analyzing more than 10 cases were limited. A retrospective single-arm cohort study was performed to investigate the efficacy of VATS in 23 consecutive patients with idiopathic peripherally located simple type PAVM. METHODS: VATS was performed for wedge resection of 24 PAVMs in 23 patients, which included 4 males and 19 females with an age range of 25 to 80 years (mean: 59.6 ± 13.0). Two patients underwent simultaneous resection of lung carcinoma, one by wedge resection and another by lobectomy. Each medical record was analyzed according to the resected specimen, bleeding volume, postsurgical hospital stay length, duration of chest tube placement, and VATS time. The distance between pleural surface/fissure and PAVM was measured on CT, and the influence of this distance on identification of PAVM was investigated. RESULTS: In all 23 patients, VATS was successfully performed, and the venous sac was included in each resected specimen. Bleeding volume was less than 10mL in all but one with 1900 mL bleeding volume due to simultaneous lobectomy for carcinoma, not wedge resection of PAVM. Postsurgical hospital stay length, duration of chest tube placement, and VATS time were 5.0 ± 1.4 days, 2.7 ± 0.7 days, and 49.3 ± 39.9 min, respectively. In 21 PAVMs with a distance of 1 mm or less, purple vessel or pleural bulge of PAVM was identified soon after insertion of a thoracoscope. In the remaining 3 PAVMs with a distance of 2.5 mm or more, additional efforts were needed for identification. CONCLUSION: VATS was found to be a safe and effective to treatment for idiopathic peripherally located simple type PAVM. When the distance between pleural surface/fissure and PAVM was 2.5 mm or more, a plan and strategy for identification of PAVM should be prepared before VATS.

Patient-reported outcomes of laryngeal mask anesthesia in thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: To assess the effectiveness and safety of laryngeal mask anesthesia (LMA) in thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). METHODS: This randomized controlled trial included 107 patients who underwent thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection between June 2017 and December 2021 for pulmonary nodule or pulmonary bullae. In one group, LMA was applied for general anesthesia, and in the other group, endotracheal intubation (ETT) was used. RESULTS: A total of 107 patients were included in the study. The symptom assessment based on PROs showed that the incidence of pharyngodynia, trachyphonia, and cough were lower in the LMA group, while the postoperative gastrointestinal reaction did not significantly differ between the two groups. The pain score and global satisfaction score were significantly better in the LMA group. The satisfaction degree of anesthesia and the surgical field did not significantly differ between the two groups. The anesthesia recovery time, indwelling days of chest catheter, and postoperative hospital stay of the LMA group were all shorter, while the operation time, intraoperative blood loss and lowest intraoperative oxygen saturation did not significantly differ between the two groups. The highest intraoperative partial pressure of CO2 was significantly higher in the LMA group. The artery blood gas analysis after the operation did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Compared with ETT, the application of LMA may demonstrate promising advantages in airway management for thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection. REGISTRATION NO: of clinical trial (ChiCTR2000034905).

A propensity sore-matched study: Applying a modified chest tube drainage strategy in rapid rehabilitation following uni-portal thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the value of a modified chest tube drainage strategy to a traditional drainage strategy in single-port thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection. METHODS: From January 2019 to July 2021, we collected clinical data on 405 patients who underwent single-port thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection in the No.1 Department of Thoracic Surgery at Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, with 121 (29.9%) cases in the modified drainage strategy group and 284 (70.1%) cases in the traditional drainage strategy group. The propensity score matching method (Match Ratio = 1:1) was used to reduce differences in clinical characteristics between the two groups. RESULTS: Following 1:1 propensity score matching, 120 matched pairs (240 patients) were included in the study. There was no significant difference in general clinical characteristics between the two groups. There was no statistical difference in intraoperative factors except for operative times (71.42 ± 22.98 min vs. 86.80 ± 36.75 min, p < 0.001). In terms of postoperative factors, there were significant differences in postoperative chest tube duration (0.00 ± 0.00 h vs. 32.68 ± 18.51 h, p < 0.001), total drainage volume (143.03 ± 118.33 ml vs. 187.73 ± 140.82 ml, p = 0.008), postoperative hospital stay (2.61 ± 0.70 days vs. 3.27 ± 1.88 days, p < 0.001), number of additional pain relief (0.14 ± 0.40 vs. 0.42 ± 0.74, p < 0.001), facial pain score (2.7 ± 1.8 vs. 3.6 ± 2.7, p = 0.005) and adverse events (p = 0.046). Furthermore, there was a statistical difference between the two groups regarding CTCAE grade-1 complication, but no statistical difference in CTCAE grade-2 complication. CONCLUSIONS: A modified drainage strategy in single-port thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection is safe and feasible, allowing for less postoperative rehabilitation time, pain relief, reduced postoperative pleural effusion, and reduced clinical workload.

Safety and feasibility study of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection without postoperative chest tube drainage: a retrospective propensity score-matched study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of postoperative chest tube drainage (CTD) on safety and postoperative recovery by comparing patients with pulmonary nodule undergoing uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection with and without postoperative CTD. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the data of patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection for pulmonary nodule at our hospital between 2018 and 2022. In cases where a 12-Fr chest tube was used following the procedure, the tube was not usually removed until the day after surgery. Therefore, the eligible patients were categorized into the drainage tube or the no-drainage tube group according to the use of postoperative CTD. Propensity score matching at a ratio of 1:1 was performed using clinicopathologic and demographic variables. The highest postoperative pain score, postoperative complication rate, postoperative length of stay and hospitalization costs were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: A total of 275 eligible patients, including 150 and 125 patients in the drainage tube and no-drainage tube groups, respectively, were included in the study. After propensity score matching, there were 102 patients in each group. The postoperative complication rate during hospitalization and at 1 week and 1 month after discharge were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P > 0.05 for all). The highest postoperative pain score was significantly lower in the no-drainage tube group than in the drainage tube group [2.02 (standard deviation: 0.81) days vs 2.31 (standard deviation: 0.76) days, P = 0.008]. The postoperative length of stay was significantly shorter in the no-drainage tube group than in the drainage tube group {3.00 [interquartile ranges (IQRs): 2.00-4.00] days vs 2.00 (IQRs: 1.00-3.00) days, P < 0.001}. Similarly, the total hospitalization costs were significantly lower in the no-drainage tube group than in the drainage tube group [33283.74 (IQRs: 27098.61-46718.56) yuan vs 26598.67 (IQRs: 22965.14-29933.67) yuan, P < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: Omission of postoperative CTD was safe and feasible in patients with pulmonary nodule undergoing wedge resection. The no-postoperative-drainage policy can substantially shorten the length of hospital stay and reduce the postoperative pain and hospitalization costs without increasing the risk of postoperative complications.

Anesthetic management of thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection with a giant tracheal diverticulum in the carina: a case report and review of the literature.

A tracheal diverticulum (TD) is a rare disease that is usually diagnosed as an incidental finding on thoracic computed tomography or bronchoscopy. TDs can be classified as congenital or acquired. In patients undergoing surgery, TDs can result in difficult intubation, difficult ventilation, pneumothorax, and other complications. We herein report a case of anesthetic management of thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection in a patient with a giant TD in the carina. Intraoperative double-lumen intubation and single-lung ventilation were challenging to perform. Fiberoptic-guided intubation was helpful, and intraoperative management was tailored to avoid diverticulum rupture. In this report, we also review complications related to TD in surgical patients undergoing mechanical ventilation. Ventilation is one of the most prominent anesthetic challenges. The close collaboration of the entire medical team was a key factor in the successful management of this rare case.

Risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting after thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection: pitfalls of an increased fentanyl dose.

BACKGROUND: Thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection (TPWR) is a surgical procedure that can maintain lung function and is less physically invasive to a patient. However, the risk factors for postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) following TPWR remain unknown. We aimed to evaluate multiple risk factors of PONV after TPWR and the impact of PONV on postoperative outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent TPWR for malignant pulmonary tumors at our institution between October 2017 and March 2020. We assessed the differences in the clinical and perioperative parameters between the PONV and non-PONV groups. RESULTS: We reviewed 160 patients, of whom 27 (16.9%) had PONV. Sixteen (59.3%) patients with PONV required postoperative antiemetics. Failed mobilization was associated with PONV requiring postoperative antiemetics (P=0.048). In the multivariate analysis, increased fentanyl dose was an independent risk factor for PONV (P=0.022). Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cut-off value for PONV was 3.58 µg/kg/hr (area under the curve =0.665; sensitivity =85.2%; specificity =53.4%; 95% confidence interval: 0.562-0.768; P=0.007). For example, in a case of a 50-kg patient who underwent a 70-min operation (our median operative time), the total dose of fentanyl within 208 µg was the cut-off value for preventing PONV. CONCLUSIONS: An increased dose of fentanyl/kg/h was the strongest risk factor for PONV during TPWR. The optimal cut-off value for PONV was 3.58 µg/kg/hr. It is important to avoid the inadvertent administration of intraoperative fentanyl.

Single-Port vs Conventional Three-Port Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Pulmonary Wedge Resection: Comparison of Postoperative Pain and Surgical Costs.

PURPOSE: Single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) pulmonary wedge resection was reported in 2004. We started using single-port VATS (SPVATS) pulmonary wedge resection in 2017 and compared results between conventional three-port VATS (VATS group) and SPVATS (SPVATS group). METHODS: We identified 145 consecutive patients with VATS group and SPVATS group. Perioperative characteristics including pain and the number of stapler cartridges used were examined as the surgical outcomes, retrospectively. RESULTS: In all, 66 cases of SPVATS group and 79 cases of VATS group pulmonary wedge resection were compared. The rate of epidural anesthesia (p <0.0001) was significantly higher and operative time (p <0.0001) was significantly longer with VATS group than with SPVATS group. The number of stapler cartridges used, duration of drain insertion, and rate of postoperative complications did not differ significantly between groups. Average numerical rating scale (NRS) score on postoperative day 1 and postoperative day 7 (p <0.0001 each), maximum NRS score on postoperative day 7 (p = 0.0082) and amount of 25 mg tramadol (p = 0.0062) were significantly lower in SPVAS group than in VATS group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that SPVATS pulmonary wedge resection offers better pain control and cost-effectiveness than three-port VATS pulmonary wedge resection. These findings should contribute to the body of evidence for SPVATS.

A retrospective comparative study of thulium laser and mechanical stapler in pulmonary wedge resection under thoracoscopy.

Objectives: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of thulium laser pulmonary wedge resection under thoracoscopy. Methods: Sixty cases of thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection by thulium laser and sixty cases with mechanical stapler from February 2015 to September 2018 were selected. The operation time, intraoperative hemorrhage, postoperative hospital stay, severe air leaks, drainage time, and complications (including postoperative hemorrhage, hemoptysis, atelectasis, and pulmonary infection) were compared between groups. Results: The thulium laser group showed a lower incidence of intraoperative hemorrhage (10.0 [5.0-20.0] ml vs. 15.0 [10.0-50.0] ml, P = 0.010) and a shorter postoperative hospital stay (3.9 ± 2.5 days vs. 4.9 ± 2.0 days, P = 0.031).There was no significant difference between groups in the operation time, postoperative drainage time, the occurrence of severe air leaks, or complication rate (P > 0.05). No patients were lost during follow?up (median follow?up time: 28.4 months, range: 18.0-36.0 months). No statistically significant difference in overall survival was found (P = 0.547). Conclusion: pulmonary wedge resection with thulium laser under thoracoscopy had better safety, less damage, and higher accuracy compared with the control group.

Validating margin status in lung wedge resection for clinical stage I non-small cell lung cancer.

Stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a localized disease without metastasis; therefore, it can be treated effectively with local therapies. Pulmonary resection is the most frequent treatment, performed as pulmonary wedge resection, segmentectomy, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy. Some retrospective clinical studies of pulmonary wedge resection suggest that its outcome may be inferior to that of anatomical pulmonary resection, whereas other recent studies, which assess surgical margin status, leveled acceptable outcomes. Since the outcome of pulmonary wedge resection for lung cancer may depend on tumor size, distance from the surgical margin to the tumor, tumor size/margin distance ratio, and margin cytology results, a prospective study assessing these parameters is ongoing. This will allow us to identify the clinical implications of these factors and predict which patients are likely to have a good outcome.

Application of regional localization method in thoracoscopic resection of small pulmonary nodule / 重庆医学

Objective To study the application of regional localization method in the thoracoscopic resection of small pulmonary nodule.Methods Sixty-eight cases of small pulmonary nodules were located by applying the small pulmonary nodules regional localization method,and the clinical effect was intraoperatively observed.The ROC curve was used to find the best node for the nodule maximum diameter and minimum distance from the pleural.Results The once successful localization was obtained in 65 cases with the success rate of 95.6％.The best node of the maximum diameter of small pulmonary nodules was 1.0 cm,and the shortest distance from the pleura was 1.3 cm.Conclusion The regional localization method in the thoracoscopic resection of small pulmonary nodule has high accuracy.

Harmonic scalpel in thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer: A case control study / 中国胸心血管外科临床杂志

@#Objective    To evaluate the clinical effects of harmonic scalpel application in thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer, which may guide its reasonable application. Methods    We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 145 lung cancer patients receiving thoracoscopic surgery from January to March 2017 in our hospital. There were 57 patients with thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection, and harmonic scalpel was used in 34 patients (8 males, 26 females at age of 59.68±10.91 years), and was not used in 23 patients (13 males and 10 females at age of 59.13±11.21 years). There were 88 patients receiving thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy, among whom harmonic scalpel was used in 80 patients (36 males and 44 females at age of 59.68±10.91 years), and was not used in 8 patients (5 males, 3 females at age of 61.63±5.60 years). We recorded the perioperative outcomes of all patients. Results    In the 34 patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection by harmonic scalpe, the operation time was 90.09±43.52 min, the blood loss was 21.32±12.75 ml, the number of lymph nodes resected was 5.12±4.26, duration of drainage was 3.15±1.16 d, volume of drainage was 535.00±291.69 ml, the length of postoperative hospital stay was 4.56±1.40 d, and no postoperative complication was observed. In the 80 patients receiving thoracoscopic pulmonary lobectomy by harmonic scalpel, operation time was 131.88±41.82 min, blood loss was 42.79±31.62 ml, the number of lymph nodes resected was 13.54±8.75, duration of thoracic drainage was 4.47±2.30 d, drainage volume was 872.09±585.24 ml, the length of postoperative hospital stay was 5.81±2.26 d, and 20 patients had postoperative complications. No complication occurred in the 8 patients without harmonic scalpel. Conclusion    Harmonic scalpel showed satisfactory effectiveness and safety in lung cancer thoracoscopic surgery.

Clinical experience of VATS diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary nodules less than 20 mm in size / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To evaluate the technique of finger palpation in thoracoscopic localization in patients with pulmonary nodules,and to summarize its technical details,especially with exploit of chest computed tomography (CT) facilitating it.Methods 95 patients with total amount of 109 pulmonary nodes 20 mm or smaller in size shown with lung window of CT,were reviewed.They were located subpleurally,with a median depth of 8.2 mm and a median size of 10.0 mm.The value of their depth over their size (D/d value) could be used as the extent of localizing difficulty.Each node had its own radiographic fealures for being localized,which was built preoperatively.Under thoracoscopic vision,nodules were finger-palpated by index finger via the 4th or 5th intercostal space on anterior axillary line,followed by wedgectomy or lobectomy for instant histopathological diagnosis to further decide the final surgical type.The distance between the nodule and the origin of segmental bronchus (L value) were also calculated out,as it might be relevant to the way the nodule could be biopsied.Results All nodules were successfully localized and resected for biopsy goal,105 by wedgectomy,4 by lobectomy.After intraoperative diagnosis was made by the pathologist,VATS lobectomy and lymph node dissection were further performed in 55 patients.L value of 4 cases being biopsied by lobectomy ranged from 18.3 to 30.3 mm,averaging 26.1 mm.Conclusion Finger palpation is viable in any cases of pulmonary nodules.Detailed reference of CT digital information,and enough detachment of mediastinal pleura,can greatly facilitate thoracoscopic localization by finger palpation.Lobectomy or segementectomy is preferable when L value is less than 30 mm.