Isolated Ocular Relapse of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Post Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

We present a rare case of a 39-year-old female with extramedullary relapse of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) isolated to the left eye 2 months post allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant. She initially presented with painless left eye erythema, swelling, and visual impairment. Initial ophthalmology review revealed conjunctival chemosis, raised intraocular pressure, and serous retinal detachments. She was initially treated for suspected orbital cellulitis with intravenous antibiotic and antifungal therapy but clinically progressed so was then treated with intravenous corticosteroids. One week later, she progressed to angle-closure glaucoma with development of a hypopyon and an enlarging subconjunctival mass. She proceeded to urgent subconjunctival biopsy and drainage of subretinal fluid which confirmed extramedullary relapse of AML. Notably, further investigation found no evidence of bone marrow or central nervous system relapse. She proceeded to localized radiotherapy with gradual resolution of the subconjunctival mass and serous retinal detachment and was for consideration of donor lymphocyte infusions and azacitidine therapy; unfortunately, she developed respiratory sepsis and passed away despite maximal efforts. This case represents a rare and unusual presentation of isolated ocular extramedullary relapse of AML and emphasises the importance of early ophthalmology involvement and tissue biopsy when there is high clinical suspicion of the disease.

Pain, Analgesic Use, and Patient Satisfaction With Spinal Versus General Anesthesia for Hip Fracture Surgery : A Randomized Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND

The REGAIN (Regional versus General Anesthesia for Promoting Independence after Hip Fracture) trial found similar ambulation and survival at 60 days with spinal versus general anesthesia for hip fracture surgery. Trial outcomes evaluating pain, prescription analgesic use, and patient satisfaction have not yet been reported.

OBJECTIVE

To compare pain, analgesic use, and satisfaction after hip fracture surgery with spinal versus general anesthesia.

DESIGN

Preplanned secondary analysis of a pragmatic randomized trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02507505).

SETTING

46 U.S. and Canadian hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged 50 years or older undergoing hip fracture surgery.

INTERVENTION

Spinal or general anesthesia.

MEASUREMENTS

Pain on postoperative days 1 through 3; 60-, 180-, and 365-day pain and prescription analgesic use; and satisfaction with care.

RESULTS

A total of 1600 patients were enrolled. The average age was 78 years, and 77% were women. A total of 73.5% (1050 of 1428) of patients reported severe pain during the first 24 hours after surgery. Worst pain over the first 24 hours after surgery was greater with spinal anesthesia (rated from 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst pain imaginable]; mean difference, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.68]). Pain did not differ across groups at other time points. Prescription analgesic use at 60 days occurred in 25% (141 of 563) and 18.8% (108 of 574) of patients assigned to spinal and general anesthesia, respectively (relative risk, 1.33 [CI, 1.06 to 1.65]). Satisfaction was similar across groups.

LIMITATION

Missing outcome data and multiple outcomes assessed.

CONCLUSION

Severe pain is common after hip fracture. Spinal anesthesia was associated with more pain in the first 24 hours after surgery and more prescription analgesic use at 60 days compared with general anesthesia.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

Do oropharyngeal throat packs prevent fluid ingestion during orthognathic surgery?

The oropharyngeal throat pack is commonly used in oral and maxillofacial surgery despite debated evidence regarding its barrier function. The study objectives were to investigate whether the oropharyngeal pack reduces blood ingestion and to evaluate its relationship with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and throat pain. This was a single-center, parallel group, single-blind randomized controlled trial. Participants undergoing orthognathic surgery, age ≥16 years, were included in the study. After intubation and prior to surgery start, the treatment group received oropharyngeal packing; the control group received no packing. Outcome variables were the quality of gastric contents aspirated by nasogastric tube (bloody or not bloody), PONV, and throat pain (visual analog scale). Thirty patients (treatment n = 15; control n = 15) were randomized and analyzed. There was no difference between the groups in quality of gastric contents (P = 1.00) or incidence of PONV at 2 hours and 24 hours (P = 1.00). Throat pain incidence and severity at 2 hours were both higher in the treatment group, but this was not statistically significant (P = 0.128, P = 0.223). The results indicate that the oropharyngeal pack is not an effective barrier against blood ingestion. Oropharyngeal packs do not improve or worsen PONV, but may increase throat pain.

POS0436 PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS TREATED WITH UPADACITINIB: THE OM1 RA REGISTRY

Background:

Upadacitinib (UPA) has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in randomized controlled trials,1-6 but there are limited data available on its real-world use and effectiveness in patients with RA.

Objectives:

To describe the characteristics and clinical outcomes at 3 months among real-world patients with RA initiating UPA.

Methods:

The data source for this study was the OM1 RA Registry, a subset of the OM1 Real-World Data Cloud (OM1, Inc, Boston, MA, US), a large, linked clinical and administrative dataset derived from medical and pharmacy claims, electronic medical record data, and death data. This analysis includes data collected in patients who initiated UPA during or after August 2019. Patients had ≥1 prescription for UPA (index date was first UPA prescription), were ≥18 years of age at index date, had ≥6 months of available data in the OM1 RA Registry prior to index date (ie, baseline period), ≥1 baseline disease activity measure, and ≥1 follow-up disease activity measure (3 or 6 months post-index). Disease activity was based on RAPID3 or CDAI. Multivariate analyses were conducted using a mixed-effects linear model adjusting for age, sex, and baseline scores. Outcomes were also assessed by therapy status (monotherapy or combination therapy) and targeted immunomodulator (TIM) use (naïve vs experienced).

Results:

Inclusion criteria were met by 1,102 patients, of whom 620 were on monotherapy and 482 were on combination therapy at index. Mean age was 57.7 years, 83% were female, 75% had prior treatment with a biologic, and 47% had prior treatment with a Janus kinase inhibitor. Of 651 patients with known disease activity category, 113 (17%) were in low disease activity (LDA)/remission. At baseline, overall mean±SD scores were 19.9±12.3 for CDAI, 4.5±2.4 for RAPID3, 5.7±2.8 for pain, 5.2±3.0 for fatigue, 3.1±2.7 for MDHAQ Physician Global Assessment (PGA), 5.2±2.8 for MDHAQ Patient Global Assessment (PtGA), and 3.1±2.3 for MDHAQ Functional Index. At 3 months post-UPA initiation, mean (95% CI) change in CDAI was –5.1 (–7.5 to –2.7) in the monotherapy group and –5.9 (–8.7 to –3.0) in the combination group. At 3 months, 29% (109/374) of patients were in LDA/remission and 32% (120/374) of patients showed improvement in disease activity. Of 94 patients with moderate disease at baseline, 34 (36%) were in LDA/remission at 3 months. Of 215 patients with high disease at baseline, 30 (14%) were in LDA/remission and 49 (23%) had moderate disease at 3 months. RAPID3 and other outcomes also improved at 3 months in the monotherapy and combination therapy groups (Figure 1). Improvements in disease activity were observed at 3 months and maintained at 6 months post-UPA initiation. Of 1,102 patients, 16% were TIM naïve and 84% TIM experienced. Both TIM-naïve and TIM-experienced patients achieved significant mean changes in CDAI (–5.7 [–10.8 to –0.6] and–5.0 [–7.0 to –3.0], respectively) and RAPID3 (–1.0 [–1.6 to –0.4] and –0.5 [–0.8 to –0.1]) at 3 months (Table 1). Improvements in clinical outcomes were maintained at 6 months in both TIM-naïve and TIM-experienced patients.

Conclusion:

Significant improvements in disease activity were consistently observed at 3 months and maintained at 6 months post-UPA initiation regardless of monotherapy, combination therapy, or prior TIM use.

References:

[1]Fleischmann R. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019;71:1788–800.

[2]Smolen JS. Lancet. 2019;393:2303–11.

[3]Burmester GR. Lancet. 2018;382:2505–12.

[4]Genovese MC. Lancet. 2018;391:2513–24.

[5]van Vollenhoven R. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020;72:1607–20.

[6]Rubbert-Roth A. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:1511–21.

Table 1.

Change in clinical outcomes from baseline at 3 months: TIM-naïve and TIM-experienced groups

TIM naïve(N=179)TIM experienced(N=923)nMean changenMean changeCDAI36–5.7*160–5.0*RAPID367–1.0*189–0.5*Pain (VAS)76–1.5*237–0.9*Fatigue46–0.7149–0.5MDHAQ PGA65–0.7*251–0.7*MDHAQ PtGA97–0.6*383–0.3MDHAQ Functional Index72–0.7*215–0.2

*Statistically significant change from baseline (P<0.05).

Acknowledgements:

Funding statement: Financial support for the study was provided by AbbVie. AbbVie participated in the interpretation of data, review, and approval of the abstract. All authors contributed to the development of the publication and maintained control over the final content.

Acknowledgment:

Medical writing services were provided by Joann Hettasch of Fishawack Facilitate Ltd, part of Fishawack Health, and funded by AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests:

Martin Bergman Shareholder of: JNJ (parent of Janssen), Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Genentech, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sandoz, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Genentech, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sandoz, Namita Tundia Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Allison Bryant: None declared, Ia Topuria: None declared, Tom Brecht: None declared, Kendall Dunlap Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Allan Gibofsky Shareholder of: AbbVie, Amgen, Horizon, J&J, Pfizer, Regeneron, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Acquist, Amgen, Lilly, Merck, Pfizer, Sandoz, Samumed, Consultant of: AbbVie, Acquist, Amgen, Lilly, Merck, Pfizer, Sandoz, Samumed

Cardiac transplantation outcomes in patients with amyloid cardiomyopathy

OBJECTIVE

Amyloid cardiomyopathy (ACM) is a progressive and life-threatening disease caused by abnormal protein deposits within cardiac tissue. The most common forms of ACM are caused by immunoglobulin derived light chains (AL) and transthyretin (TTR). Orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT) remains the definitive treatment for patients with end stage heart failure. In this study, we perform a contemporary multicenter analysis evaluating post OHT survival in patients with ACM.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter analysis of 40,044 adult OHT recipients captured in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) registry from 1987-2018. Patients were characterized as ACM or non-ACM. Baseline characteristics were obtained, and summary characteristics were calculated. Outcomes of interest included post-transplant survival, infection, treated rejection, and the ability to return to work. Racial differences in OHT survival were also analyzed. Unadjusted associations between ACM and non-ACM survival were determined using the Kaplan-Meier estimations and confounding was addressed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.

RESULTS

Three hundred ninety-eight patients with a diagnosis of ACM were identified of which 313 underwent heart only OHT. ACM patients were older (61 vs 53; P < .0001) and had a higher proportion of African Americans (30.7% vs 17.6%; P < .0001). Median survival for ACM was 10.2 years vs 12.5 years in non-ACM (P = .01). After adjusting for confounding, ACM patients had a higher likelihood of death post-OHT (HR 1.39 CI: 1.14, 1.70; P = .001). African American ACM patients had a higher likelihood of survival compared to White ACM patients (HR 0.51 CI 0.31-0.85; P = .01). No difference was observed in episodes of treated rejection (OR 0.63 CI 0.23, 1.78; P = .39), hospitalizations for infections (OR 1.24 CI: 0.85, 1.81; P = .26), or likelihood of returning to work for income (OR 1.23 CI: 0.84, 1.80; P = .30).

CONCLUSIONS

In this analysis of OHT in ACM, ACM was associated with a higher likelihood of post-OHT mortality. Racial differences in post-OHT were observed with African American patients with ACM having higher likelihood of survival compared to White patients with ACM. No differences were observed in episodes of treated rejection, hospitalization for infection, or likelihood to return to work for income.

A qualitative study of fourteen African countries' nursing workforce and labour market

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe factors affecting nursing education and labour markets in countries in East, Central, and Southern Africa, and critical areas for investment.

BACKGROUND

An understanding about the relationship between the supply of nurses (determined by types of educational programmes, and the quantity and quality of nurse graduates), and workforce demand is critical to health policy development.

METHODS

Six focus groups and 14 key informant interviews with nursing leaders and experts were conducted. Participants included government chief nursing officers, registrars of regulatory bodies, association leaders and heads of nursing education. The data were transcribed, coded and analysed using inductive techniques.

FINDINGS

Participants discussed challenges and strengths of nursing education, school and regulatory infrastructure, financing mechanisms for the nursing workforce, the state of nursing jobs and scope of nursing practice.

CONCLUSION

Strengthened regulations and leadership are needed to improve investment in nursing, the quality of nursing education, and working conditions and to promote the achievement of better health outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING POLICY

Clarifying scope of practice for nurses in the health sector and creating competency-based requirements is important. Governments should establish positions that align with updated competencies and provide fair and safe working conditions. The current and ongoing investment case for nursing requires improved data systems and a commitment to use labour market data for decision-making.

History of cigarette smoking and heart transplant outcomes

Background: Active cigarette smoking (CS) is a contraindication for Orthotopic Heart Transplantation (OHT) with a recommendation that HT candidates be free from CS for at minimum 6 months prior to HT. Animal studies have shown that a history of CS is associated with increased risk of allograft rejection, but few studies have examined the association of past CS and HT outcomes. Methods: Data were analyzed from HT recipients captured in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) transplant registry. Adults aged 18–79 who underwent HT from 1987 to 2018 and with data for all covariates (N = 32,260) were included in this study. The cohort was categorized by past smoking history (CS vs non-CS). Post-transplant outcomes of interest included survival, graft failure, treated rejection, malignancy and hospitalization for infection. Baseline characteristics were compared between the two groups using the chi-squared analysis. Unadjusted associations between CS and patient survival were determined using the Kaplan-Meier estimations and confounding was addressed using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results: HT recipients with a history of CS were older (55 vs 50, p = <0.0001), more likely to be Caucasian (75.7 vs 62.3, p = <0.0001), male (81.7 vs 68.2, p =< 0.0001), and diabetic (27.4 vs 24.4, p =< 0.0001). CS was associated with significantly worse survival (HR: 1.23, p < 0.0001). A history of CS was also associated with increased risk of acute rejection (OR: 1.20, p < 0.0001), hospitalization for infection (OR:1.24, p < 0.0001), graft failure (OR:1.23, p < 0.0001) and post-transplant malignancy (OR:1.43, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: A history of CS is associated with increased risk of adverse events post OHT.

Effects of Intraoperative Ketamine on Post-Operative Recovery in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients: A Case-Control Study

Objective

To evaluate the post-operative outcomes of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) given intraoperative ketamine.

Design: case-control study

A total of 574 patients (287 received ketamine and 287 were matched controls) diagnosed with OSA and body mass index (BMI) > 30 who received general anesthesia were included in this study. Patients given intraoperative ketamine were matched (1:1) with those who did not receive ketamine for age, gender, BMI, ethnicity, anesthesia time, intraoperative fentanyl dose, ketamine dose, and surgery type. A sub-analysis was performed based on the dose of ketamine administered and also on the surgery type. Measured outcomes include post-operative pain scores, post-operative opioid requirements, respiratory status, oxygen use, and duration post-operatively.

Results

Intraoperative ketamine use did not decrease pain scores or post-operative opioid use when compared with the control (no intraoperative ketamine) group. Patients who received high-dose ketamine had significantly higher post-operative pain scores (p=0.048) while in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and required supplemental oxygen for a longer period of time (p = 0.030), pain scores were not significant for patients who underwent orthopedic/spine procedures (p = 0.074), and high-dose ketamine group patients who underwent orthopedic/spine surgery required significantly more opioids in the PACU (p = 0.031). Among patients who received low-dose ketamine, those who underwent head, ear, nose, and throat surgery required significantly more opioids in PACU (p = 0.022).

Conclusions

Low-dose intraoperative ketamine did not decrease pain scores or post-operative opioid use significantly and did not improve standard respiratory recovery parameters for OSA patients after surgery. Neither low- nor high-dose ketamine demonstrated the anticipated benefits of low pain scores and reduced post-operative opioid use. These outcomes will differ depending on the surgery type and dose of ketamine used.

Assessment of Acute Kidney Injury in Neurologically Injured Patients Receiving Hypertonic Sodium Chloride: Does Chloride Load Matter?

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that large-volume infusions of 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) for resuscitation are associated with hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis, renal vasoconstriction, and increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). Patients with neurological injury may require hypertonic NaCl for therapeutic hypernatremia, treatment of cerebral salt wasting, hyponatremia, or elevated intracranial pressure. Consequently, this increased exposure to chloride may result in an increased risk for development of AKI. Objective: The primary aim of this study was to describe the risk for development of AKI in neurologically injured patients receiving large volumes of intravenous hypertonic NaCl. Methods: This single-center, retrospective study looked at neurologically injured patients who received hypertonic NaCl and sodium acetate. Data were collected to assess renal function, hyperchloremia, and acidemia. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to determine the predictive association between the amount of daily and overall chloride exposure and development of AKI. Results: A total of 301 patients were screened, and of those, 142 were included. Of the 142 patients included, 13% developed AKI, and 38% developed hyperchloremia. Additionally, 32% of patients were switched from NaCl to sodium acetate after an average of 3.4 ± 1.5 days of NaCl therapy. The ROC curve demonstrated that if patients received greater than 2055 mEq of chloride over 7 days, they were more likely to develop AKI (sensitivity 72%, specificity 70%; P = 0.002; area under the curve = 0.7). Conclusion and Relevance: Neurologically injured patients receiving hypertonic sodium therapy with a high chloride load are at risk of developing hyperchloremia and AKI.

First Results from CUORE: A Search for Lepton Number Violation via 0νββ Decay of ^{130}Te

The CUORE experiment, a ton-scale cryogenic bolometer array, recently began operation at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso in Italy. The array represents a significant advancement in this technology, and in this work we apply it for the first time to a high-sensitivity search for a lepton-number-violating process: ^{130}Te neutrinoless double-beta decay. Examining a total TeO_{2} exposure of 86.3 kg yr, characterized by an effective energy resolution of (7.7±0.5)  keV FWHM and a background in the region of interest of (0.014±0.002)  counts/(keV kg yr), we find no evidence for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Including systematic uncertainties, we place a lower limit on the decay half-life of T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.3×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.); the median statistical sensitivity of this search is 7.0×10^{24}  yr. Combining this result with those of two earlier experiments, Cuoricino and CUORE-0, we find T_{1/2}^{0ν}(^{130}Te)>1.5×10^{25}  yr (90% C.L.), which is the most stringent limit to date on this decay. Interpreting this result as a limit on the effective Majorana neutrino mass, we find m_{ββ}<(110-520)  meV, where the range reflects the nuclear matrix element estimates employed.

Population-based cohort study of variation in the use of emergency cholecystectomy for benign gallbladder diseases

Background

The aims of this prospective population-based cohort study were to identify the patient and hospital characteristics associated with emergency cholecystectomy, and the influences of these in determining variations between hospitals.

Methods

Data were collected for consecutive patients undergoing cholecystectomy in acute UK and Irish hospitals between 1 March and 1 May 2014. Potential explanatory variables influencing the performance of emergency cholecystectomy were analysed by means of multilevel, multivariable logistic regression modelling using a two-level hierarchical structure with patients (level 1) nested within hospitals (level 2).

Results

Data were collected on 4744 cholecystectomies from 165 hospitals. Increasing age, lower ASA fitness grade, biliary colic, the need for further imaging (magnetic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), endoscopic interventions (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) and admission to a non-biliary centre significantly reduced the likelihood of an emergency cholecystectomy being performed. The multilevel model was used to calculate the probability of receiving an emergency cholecystectomy for a woman aged 40 years or over with an ASA grade of I or II and a BMI of at least 25·0 kg/m2, who presented with acute cholecystitis with an ultrasound scan showing a thick-walled gallbladder and a normal common bile duct. The mean predicted probability of receiving an emergency cholecystectomy was 0·52 (95 per cent c.i. 0·45 to 0·57). The predicted probabilities ranged from 0·02 to 0·95 across the 165 hospitals, demonstrating significant variation between hospitals.

Conclusion

Patients with similar characteristics presenting to different hospitals with acute gallbladder pathology do not receive comparable care.

Decreasing the Preincision Time for Pulmonary Lobectomy: The Process of Lean and Value Stream Mapping

BACKGROUND

Our objective was to evaluate our results after the implementation of lean (the elimination of wasteful parts of a process).

METHODS

After meetings with our anesthesiologists, we standardized our "in the operating room-to-skin incision protocols" before pulmonary lobectomy. Patients were divided into consecutive cohorts of 300 lobectomy patients. Several protocols were slowly adopted and outcomes were evaluated.

RESULTS

One surgeon performed 2,206 pulmonary lobectomies, of which 84% were for cancer. Protocols for lateral decubitus positioning changed over time. We eliminated axillary rolls, arm boards, and beanbags. Monitoring devices were slowly eliminated. Central catheters decreased from 75% to 0% of patients, epidurals from 84% to 3%, arterial catheters from 93% to 4%, and finally, Foley catheters were reduced from 99% to 11% (p ≤ 0.001 for all). A protocol for the insertion of double-lumen endotracheal tubes was established and times decreased (mean, 14 minutes to 1 minute; p = 0.001). After all changes were made, the time between operating room entry and incision decreased from a mean of 64 minutes to 37 minutes (p < 0.001). Outcomes improved, mortality decreased from 3.2% to 0.26% (p = 0.015), and major morbidity decreased from 15.2% to 5.3% (p = 0.042).

CONCLUSIONS

Lean and value stream mapping can be safely applied to the clinical algorithms of high-risk patient care. We demonstrate that elimination of non-value-added steps can safely decrease preincision time without increasing patient risk in patients who undergo pulmonary lobectomy. Selected centers may be able to adopt some of these lean-driven protocols.

The prevalence of nodal upstaging during robotic lung resection in early stage non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Pathologic nodal upstaging can be considered a surrogate for completeness of nodal evaluation and quality of surgery. We sought to determine the rate of nodal upstaging and disease-free and overall survival with a robotic approach in clinical stage I NSCLC.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed patients with clinical stage I NSCLC after robotic lobectomy or segmentectomy at three centers from 2009 to 2012. Data were collected primarily based on Society of Thoracic Surgeons database elements.

RESULTS

Robotic anatomic lung resection was performed in 302 patients. The majority were right sided (192; 63.6%) and of the upper lobe (192; 63.6%). Most were clinical stage IA (237; 78.5%). Pathologic nodal upstaging occurred in 33 patients (10.9% [pN1 20, 6.6%; pN2 13, 4.3%]). Hilar (pN1) upstaging occurred in 3.5%, 8.6%, and 10.8%, respectively, for cT1a, cT1b, and cT2a tumors. Comparatively, historic hilar upstage rates of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) versus thoracotomy for cT1a, cT1b, and cT2a were 5.2%, 7.1%, and 5.7%, versus 7.4%, 8.8%, and 11.5%, respectively. Median follow-up was 12.3 months (range, 0 to 49). Forty patients (13.2%) had disease recurrence (local 11, 3.6%; regional 7, 2.3%; distant 22, 7.3%). The 2-year overall survival was 87.6%, and the disease-free survival was 70.2%.

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of nodal upstaging for robotic resection appears to be superior to VATS and similar to thoracotomy data when analyzed by clinical T stage. Both disease-free and overall survival were comparable to recent VATS and thoracotomy data. A larger series of matched open, VATS and robotic approaches is necessary.