Conversion due to vascular injury during video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy: A multicentre retrospective analysis from the Italian video-assisted thoracic surgery group registry

The role of the surgical volume for clinical outcomes in VATS lobectomy for lung cancer: a national large database multicenter analysis

Improving the quality of lung cancer care at a cost that can be sustained is a hotly debated issue. High-risk, low-volume procedures (such as lung resections) are believed to improve significantly when centralised in high-volume centres. However, limited evidence exists to support volume requirements in lung cancer surgery. On the other hand, there was no evidence that the number of lung resections affected either the short-term perioperative results or the long-term cost. Using data from an extensive nationwide registry, this study investigated the correlations between surgical volumes and selected perioperative outcomes. A retrospective analysis of a prospectively filled national registry that follows stringent quality assurance and security procedures was conducted to ensure data accuracy and security. Patients who underwent VATS lobectomy from 2014 to 2019 at the participating centres were included. Selected perioperative outcomes were reported. Total direct hospital cost is measured at discharge for hospitalisations with a primary diagnosis of lung cancer, hospital stay costs, and postoperative length of hospital stay after lobectomy. After the propensity score matched, centres were divided into three groups according to the surgical volume of the unit where VATS lobectomies were performed (high-volume centre: > 500 lobectomies; medium-volume centre: 200-500 lobectomies; low-volume centre: < 200 lobectomies). 11,347 patients were included and matched (low-volume center = 2890; medium-volume center = 3147; high-volume center = 2907). The mean operative time density plot (Fig. 1A) showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.67). In contrast, the density plot of the harvested lymph nodes (Fig. 1B) showed significantly higher values in the high-volume centres (p = 0.045), albeit without being clinically significant. The adjusted rates of any and significant complications were higher in the low-volume centre (p = 0.034) without significantly affecting the length of hospital stay (p = 0.57). VATS lobectomies for lung cancer in higher-volume centres seem associated with a statistically significantly higher number of harvested lymph nodes and lower perioperative complications, yet without any significant impact in terms of costs and resource consumption. These findings may advise the investigation of the learning curve effect in a complete economic evaluation of VATS lobectomy in lung cancer. Fig. 1 The mean operative time density plot showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.67).

Safety and perioperative outcomes of uniportal versus multiportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

INTRODUCTION

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) has recently become an alternative approach for many minimally invasive thoracic procedures, but although its surgical effectiveness has been proven, still its feasibility and safety are debated and unclear. the objective of this study was to compare the safety and perioperative outcomes of U-VATS versus multiportal VATS (M-VATS).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This was a comparative follow-up randomised controlled clinical trial, carried out on 36 randomly selected eligible patients, and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria for VATS, they were assigned randomly into two groups: Study Group I including 18 patients undergoing U-VATS with conventional treatment using standard chest tube drainage and Control Group II including 18 patients undergoing M-VATS) with the same conventional treatment using standard chest tube drainage and served as a comparable control group.

RESULTS

Patients in the U-VATS Group 1 had faster operation time, and with reduced blood loss, pleural drainage and post-operative hospitalisation, they also experienced lower average post-operative pain score on comparison with those in M-VATS Group II (P < 0.001), respectively. For either group, there were no hospital deaths or infections. There was no noticeable difference between the two groups in terms of the number of resected lymph nodes or the rates of intraoperative or post-operative complications (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

U-VATS is feasible and safe in eligible selected patients with favourable short-term perioperative outcomes (operative time, duration of pleural drainage, post-operative pain, early ambulation, duration of hospital stay as well as the risk of perioperative complications), and it can be considered the preferred approach in minimally invasive thoracic procedures that open up for the possibility of fast-track thoracic surgeries.

The Impact of Surgical Experience in VATS Lobectomy on Conversion and Patient Quality of Life: Results from a Comprehensive National Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgical Database

OBJECTIVES

Although unexpected conversion during Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) lobectomy is up to 23%, the effects on postoperative outcomes remain debatable. This retrospective study aimed: (i) to identify potential preoperative risk factors of VATS conversion to standard thoracotomy; (ii) to assess the impact of surgical experience in VATS lobectomy on conversion rate and patient health-related quality of life.

METHODS

We extracted detailed information on VATS lobectomy procedures performed consecutively (2014-2019). Predictors of conversion were assessed with univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. To assess the impact of VATS lobectomy experience, observations were divided according to surgeons' experiences with VATS lobectomy. The impact of VATS lobectomy experience on conversion and occurrence of postoperative complications was evaluated using logistic regressions. The impact of VATS lobectomy experience on EuroQoL-5D (EQ-5D) scores at discharge was assessed using Tobit regressions.

RESULTS

A total of 11,772 patients underwent planned VATS for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with 1074 (9.1%) requiring conversion to thoracotomy. The independent predictors at multivariable analysis were: FEV1% (OR = 0.99; 95% CI: 0.98-0.99, p = 0.007), clinical nodal involvement (OR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.08-1.90, p = 0.014). Experienced surgeons performed 4079 (34.7%) interventions. Experience in VATS lobectomy did not show a relevant impact on the risk of open surgery conversion (p = 0.13) and postoperative complications (p = 0.10), whereas it showed a significant positive impact (p = 0.012) on EQ-5D scores at discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinical nodal involvement was confirmed as the most critical predictor of conversion. Greater experience in VATS lobectomy did not decrease conversion rate and postoperative complications but was positively associated with postoperative patient quality of life.

Evaluation of pulmonary artery bleeding during thoracoscopic pulmonary resection for lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Bleeding from the pulmonary artery (PA) can be fatal in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer. We evaluated intraoperative PA injury and assessed precautions for thoracoscopic anatomic pulmonary resection.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed a total of 1098 patients who underwent radical surgery for lung cancer utilizing complete VATS from January 2010 to December 2021.

RESULTS

A total of 16 patients (1.5%) had PA injury during VATS, while hemostasis was performed by conversion to thoracotomy in eight patients (50.0%). Although there was a significantly greater operation time and blood loss for patients in the PA injury group (318.4 vs. 264.9 min, p = 0.001; 550.3 vs. 60.5 g, p ≤ 0.001, respectively), there was no significant different for the chest tube insertion duration and length of postoperative hospital stay (4.9 vs. 7.8 days, p = 0.157; 10.6 vs. 9.9 days, p = 0.136, respectively). There was a significant difference observed for the surgical procedure related to the left upper lobectomy in the PA injury group (43.8 vs. 18.8%, p = 0.012), with the primary causative PA determined to be the left anterior segmental PA (A³ ) (31.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

VATS is both feasible and safe for lung cancer treatment provided the surgeon performs appropriate hemostasis, although fatal vascular injury could potentially occur during VATS. Surgeons need to be aware of the pitfalls regarding PA dissection management.

Cognitive Aids for the Management of Thoracic Anesthesia Emergencies: Consensus Guidelines on Behalf of a Canadian Thoracic Taskforce

A cognitive aid is a tool used to help people accurately and efficiently perform actions. Similarly themed cognitive aids may be collated into a manual to provide relevant information for a specific context (eg, operating room emergencies). Expert content and design are paramount to facilitate the utility of a cognitive aid, especially during a crisis when accessible memory may be limited and distractions may impair task completion. A cognitive aid does not represent a rigid approach to problem-solving or a replacement for decision-making. Successful cognitive aid implementation requires dedicated training, access, and culture integration. Here the authors present a set of evidence-based cognitive aids for thoracic anesthesia emergencies developed by a Canadian thoracic taskforce.

Postoperative cavitating infarction following lobectomy: the importance of variant pulmonary anatomy

A 75-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with haemoptysis, fever and shortness of breath. She had undergone a right video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery upper lobectomy for an apical lung cancer 4 weeks earlier, and had been treated with antibiotics for 1 week prior to admission for a suspected postoperative lung abscess. Review of preoperative imaging found that she possessed a lobar pulmonary artery variant, with postoperative imaging confirming that the right lower lobe segmental pulmonary artery had been divided alongside the upper lobe vessels. The diagnosis of a lung abscess was thus revised to a cavitating pulmonary infarct. There are numerous variations of the pulmonary vasculature, all of which have the potential to cause a range of serious vascular complications if not appreciated preoperatively. Measures to mitigate the risk of complications resulting from vascular anomalies should be considered by both radiologists and surgeons, with effective lines of communication essential to safe working.

International expert consensus on the management of bleeding during VATS lung surgery

Intraoperative bleeding is the most crucial safety concern of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for a major pulmonary resection. Despite the advances in surgical techniques and devices, intraoperative bleeding is still not rare and remains the most common and potentially fatal cause of conversion from VATS to open thoracotomy. Therefore, to guide the clinical practice of VATS lung surgery, we proposed the International Interest Group on Bleeding during VATS Lung Surgery with 65 experts from 10 countries in the field to develop this consensus document. The consensus was developed based on the literature reports and expert experience from different countries. The causes and incidence of intraoperative bleeding were summarised first. Seven situations of intraoperative bleeding were collected based on clinical practice, including the bleeding from massive vessel injuries, bronchial arteries, vessel stumps, and bronchial stumps, lung parenchyma, lymph nodes, incisions, and the chest wall. The technical consensus for the management of intraoperative bleeding was achieved on these seven surgical situations by six rounds of repeated revision. Following expert consensus statements were achieved: (I) Bleeding from major vascular injuries: direct compression with suction, retracted lung, or rolled gauze is useful for bleeding control. The size and location of the vascular laceration are evaluated to decide whether the bleeding can be stopped by direct compression or by ligation. If suturing is needed, the suction-compressing angiorrhaphy technique (SCAT) is recommended. Timely conversion to thoracotomy with direct compression is required if the operator lacks experience in thoracoscopic angiorrhaphy. (II) Bronchial artery bleeding: pre-emptive clipping of bronchial artery before bronchial dissection or lymph node dissection can reduce the incidence of bleeding. Bronchial artery bleeding can be stopped by compression with the suction tip, followed by the handling of the vascular stump with energy devices or clips. (III) Bleeding from large vessel stumps and bronchial stumps: bronchial stump bleeding mostly comes from accompanying bronchial artery, which can be clipped for hemostasis. Compression for hemostasis is usually effective for bleeding at the vascular stump. Otherwise, additional use of hemostatic materials, re-staple or a suture may be necessary. (IV) Bleeding from the lung parenchyma: coagulation hemostasis is the first choice. For wounds with visible air leakage or an insufficient hemostatic effect of coagulation, suturing may be necessary. (V) Bleeding during lymph node dissection: non-grasping en-bloc lymph node dissection is recommended for the nourishing vessels of the lymph node are addressed first with this technique. If bleeding occurs at the site of lymph node dissection, energy devices can be used for hemostasis, sometimes in combination with hemostatic materials. (VI) Bleeding from chest wall incisions: the chest wall incision(s) should always be made along the upper edge of the rib(s), with good hemostasis layer by layer. Recheck the incision for hemostasis before closing the chest is recommended. (VII) Internal chest wall bleeding: it can usually be managed with electrocoagulation. For diffuse capillary bleeding with the undefined bleeding site, compression of the wound with gauze may be helpful.

Preoperative 3D-CT bronchography and angiography facilitates single-direction uniportal thoracoscopic anatomic lobectomy

Background

Competency in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is estimated to be reached after 50 cases. Preoperative identification of individualized pulmonary vascular drainage is essential for the safe and fluent performance of single-direction uniportal VATS (UVATS) anatomic lobectomy. Digital anatomy models established by three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography (3D-CTBA) is therefore utilized to accumulate variations of the right upper lobe (RUL) veins, as right upper lobectomy is considered to be the most complicated and challenging procedure. This study aims to investigate the perioperative outcomes and learning curve of single-direction UVATS RUL lobectomy assisted with 3D-CTBA.

Methods

The patients who underwent single-direction intercostal UVATS anatomic RUL lobectomy after 3D-CTBA simulation by the same surgeon at Xuzhou Central Hospital between January 2017 and April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed (3D-CTBA group), and consisted of 99 males and 54 females, with a mean age of 61.6 years, with the variations of the RUL vein being assessed preoperatively. They were further divided into group A (30 cases), B (30 cases), C (30 cases), and D (63 cases), in accordance with the order of surgery. Meanwhile, the first 35 cases of single-direction UVATS RUL lobectomy by another experienced surgeon (after the learning curve of this procedure) who did not use 3D-CTBA was enrolled as a control group. The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, stations and numbers of harvested lymph nodes, the incidence of conversion to multiport VATS or thoracotomy, thoracic tube retention for drainage, complications defined under the Clavien-Dindo system, pain score, and postoperative hospital stay were analyzed. The previous surgical experience of the two surgeons was also evaluated.

Results

A significant difference was evident among the 5 groups in terms of age, smoking history, the proportion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and T staging of the tumors (P<0.05, respectively). As for the 3D-CTBA group, a total of 29 cases (19.0%) of anomalous RUL posterior segmental pulmonary vein (PV) (V²) drainage were recorded, while the other 124 patients indicated the central type (V2a. Cent.). Of the uncommon RUL V², they could be further classified into 4 types [V2a. Post. (5/153, 3.3%), VX2a. Ant. (17/153, 11.1%), VXX2a. Ant. (3/153, 2.0%), and nonspecific complicated (4/153, 2.6%)]. Single-direction UVATS lobectomy was performed in every patient successfully. No perioperative mortality, major bleeding, conversion to thoracotomy, the addition of incisions, or 30-day unplanned readmission was recorded. One patient in group B reported an injury of a bronchial artery. All cases had an R0 resection. The operation time of group A (109.8±25.4 min) was significantly longer than that of group B (79.7±11.1 min), C (77.0±12.1 min), D (69.3±16.0 min), and the control (86.1±17.9 min, P<0.001 respectively). Moreover, the operation time of the patients in group B, C, and D was slightly shorter than the control, although without significance (P>0.05, respectively). Furthermore, the duration of chest tube drainage in group A (3.7±2.2 days) was noticeably longer than that in group B (3.0±0.9 days), C (2.7±1.6 days), D (2.6±0.8 days), and the control (2.7±1.6 days, P=0.004 among the groups). Similarly, postoperative hospital stay in group A (3.9±2.3 days) was noticeably longer than that in group B (3.0±1.0 days), C (2.8±1.8 days), D (2.6±0.8 days), and the control (2.8±1.8 days, P=0.002 among the groups). The 5 groups indicated comparable stations and numbers of the harvested lymph nodes, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative total chest drainage volume, incidence of complications, and pain scale on the 14^th day after surgery (P>0.05, respectively).

Conclusions

Preoperative 3D-CTBA digital anatomy facilitates the safe and fluent performance of single-direction UVATS anatomic right upper lobectomy, with a learning curve of 30 cases. High-quality trials for better evidence are called for to verify these findings.