The impact of outliers on the mean in the evolution of video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy

National adoption of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy: the Italian VATS register evaluation

Background

The expertise curve of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomies still stirs debate and controversy both because of the number of procedures to carry out and of the evaluation of the learning threshold. The purpose of our study was the examination of the variables related to the learning curve of the video-assisted approach, to establish what may be an expression of the technical maturity of the surgeon.

Methods

The National Register for VATS lobectomy built in 2013 was used to collect data from 65 Thoracic Surgery Units. Out of more than 3,700 patients enrolled, only information from Units with ≥100 VATS lobectomies were retrospectively analysed. Unpaired Student's t-tests, Fisher's exact tests, Pearson's χ² were applied as needed. Cumulative summative analysis and one-way ANOVA were used to identify the expertise curve of VATS lobectomy.

Results

Ten institutions contributed a total of 1,679 patients, who were divided into three uniform groups according to the chronological sequence of surgery. The length of utility incision, the number of dissected lymph nodes and the operative time were not statistically significant (P=0.999, P=0.972 and P=0.307, respectively) among groups. Conversion to thoracotomy and postoperative air leaks occurred in 125 (7.44%) and 109 (6.49%) patients, gradually declined in Group 3 with statistical significance (P=0.048 and P=0.00086).

Conclusions

The conversion rate and the percentage of air leaks seem to define the expertise of VATS lobectomy, being linked to the ability to manage more complicated surgical cases or intraoperative adverse events.

The Very Experienced Time-honoUred Surgeons (VETUS) project

Senior surgeons who completed their formal surgical training before the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy era have had more experience with lobectomy via thoracotomy while their thoracoscopic training background contrasts from younger surgeons. However, this does not seem to have an unfavourable effect on their performance. Despite the literature recognising the critical points of influence of the learning curve for resident surgeons, limited data are focusing on the incremental performance of VATS lobectomy by senior surgeons. The Very Experienced Time-honoUred Surgeons (VETUS) project aims to understand this trend in the VATS group and to introduce an approach to the VATS lobectomy involving senior surgeon. The VETUS project is based on a self-assessment program where the senior surgeon (independently and in complete anonymity) follows a 1-year approach to training in VATS lobectomy. At predefined time intervals, the surgeon will be called to evaluate his performance according to a number of variables such as the choice of VATS lobectomy indications, the number of the port used and length of utility incision, time spent in dissecting the hilar structures and the overall percentage of VATS lobectomy performed in 1 year compared to open. The self-assessment of the VETUS project is a unique opportunity to define the path of a systematic approach to training outside the traditional modalities with the ultimate aim of supporting quality of standardised VATS lobectomy throughout the country.