[Considerations for Perioperative Management of Patients with Complicated Respiratory Dysfunction].

This article describes the perioperative complications, perioperative risk assessment, and perioperative management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease, especially idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis( IPF), which are the leading diseases in respiratory dysfunction. In COPD, testing for forced expiratory volume during the first second and pulmonary diffusing capacity is important and an algorithm for testing has been presented by the Japanese Association for Chest Surgery. Acute exacerbation of IPF is the leading cause of postoperative mortality in Japan, and risk factors are being analyzed. To reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications, it is important to carry out a risk assessment, select appropriate surgical strategy, and implement a well-planned perioperative management.

[Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery for Mediastinal Tumors].

The subxiphoid approach in thymectomy provides better visibility around the left brachiocephalic vein than the lateral thoracic approach. Robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is easier to parform than video- assisted thoracoscopic surgery for surgery of the upper mediastinum, because the forceps can be moved with many joints. Robot-assisted thymectomy using the subxiphoid approach may be less traumatic and less invasive than median sternotomy. We must continue to devise surgical procedures to make oncologically curative surgery more minimally invasive.

[Lung Transplantation at a Low Volume Center].

The number of lung transplantation performed in Japan is extremely low compared to other countries, whereas we have 10 facilities certified as cadaveric lung transplantation in Japan, meaning that there are low volume centers. By August 2021, we performed lung transplantation in 21 cases for 12 years, therefore, our facility should be considered as low volume center. Surgical outcomes at low volume centers are generally considered poor. However, the overall five-year survival rate of total cases was 84.8%, and that of cadaveric cases was 94.4% in our hospital. It was better than the average of about 73% of all facilities in Japan. These data suggested that the accreditation system in Japan is functioning well. On the other hand, there may be a disparity between facilities. At our facility, we are actively performing inverted lung transplantation so as not to lose the opportunity for transplantation, and we have performed it in three cases so far and have achieved good results.