ERASURE : early autologous blood pleurodesis for postoperative air leaks : a randomized, controlled trial comparing prophylactic autologous blood pleurodesis versus standard watch and wait treatment for postoperative air leaks following thoracoscopic anatomic lung resections

Background: The prolonged air leak is probably the most common complication following lung resections. Around 10–20% of the patients who undergo a lung resection will eventually develop a prolonged air leak. The definition of a prolonged air leak varies between an air leak, which is evident after the fifth, seventh or even tenth postoperative day to every air leak that prolongs the hospital stay. However, the postoperative hospital stay following a thoracoscopic lobectomy can be as short as 2 days, making the above definitions sound outdated. The treatment of these air leaks is also very versatile. One of the broadly accepted treatment options is the autologous blood pleurodesis or “blood patch”. The purpose of this trial is to investigate the impact of a prophylactic autologous blood pleurodesis on reducing the duration of the postoperative air leak and therefore prevent the air leak from becoming prolonged. Methods: Patients undergoing an elective thoracoscopic anatomic lung resection for primary lung cancer or metastatic disease will be eligible for recruitment. Patients with an air leak of > 100 ml/min within 6 h prior to the morning round on the second postoperative day will be eligible for inclusion in the study and randomization. Patients will be randomized to either blood pleurodesis or watchful waiting. The primary endpoint is the time to drain removal measured in full days. The trial ends on the seventh postoperative day. Discussion: The early autologous blood pleurodesis could lead to a faster cessation of the air leak and therefore to a faster removal of the drain. A faster removal of the drain would relieve the patient from all the well-known drain-associated complications (longer hospital stay, stronger postoperative pain, risk of drain-associated infection, etc.). From the economical point of view, faster drain removal would reduce the hospital costs as well as the costs associated with the care of a patient with a chest drain in an outpatient setting

Cowden Syndrome and Concomitant Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Tumor: A Presentation of Two Cases

Cowden Syndrome is a rare autosomal dominantly inherited disorder. Patients with Cowden Syndrome are at increased risk of various benign and malignant neoplasms in breast, endometrium, thyroid, gastrointestinal tract, and genitourinary system. Neuroendocrine tumors are ubiquitous neoplasms that may occur anywhere in the human body. Bronchopulmonary neuroendocrine tumors include four different histological subtypes, among these, typical and atypical pulmonary carcinoids. No association between Cowden Syndrome and neuroendocrine tumors has previously been described. We present two cases of Cowden Syndrome that were diagnosed with pulmonary carcinoids

Risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer: Nationwide descriptive cohort study

Objectives Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication in patients starting cancer therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We examined the risk and timing of VTE in patients with stage IIIA, IIIB-C, and stage IV NSCLC according to received cancer treatments. Materials and Methods A nationwide registry-based cohort study of patients recorded in the Danish Lung Cancer Registry (2010-2021) followed for 1 year after entry into the registry to assess the incidence of VTE. The Aalen-Johansen estimator was used to calculate the risk of VTE after treatment commencement with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemoradiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. Results Among the 3,475 patients with stage IIIA, 4,047 with stage IIIB-C, and 18,082 patients with stage IV cancer, the 1-year risk of VTE was highest in the first six months and varied markedly by cancer stage and cancer treatment. In stage IIIA, VTE risk was highest with chemotherapy (3.9%) and chemoradiation (4.1%). In stage IIIB-C, risks increased with chemotherapy (5.2%), immunotherapy (9.4%) and targeted therapy (6.0%). Stage IV NSCLC showed high risk with targeted therapy (12.5%) and immunotherapy (12.2%). The risk was consistently higher for pulmonary embolism than deep vein thrombosis. Conclusion VTE risks vary substantially according to cancer treatments and cancer stages. The highest risk was observed in the initial six months of therapy initiation. These insights emphasize the need for tailored risk assessment and vigilance in managing VTE complications in patients with NSCLC. Further research is needed to optimize individual thromboprophylaxis strategies for patients with unresectable and metastatic NSCLC. Micro abstract This nationwide cohort study highlights the significant risk of VTE in patients undergoing cancer therapies for NSCLC. The 1-year risk of VTE was highest within the initial six months of treatment and demonstrated substantial variability on cancer stage and the specific treatments received. These findings emphasize the importance of a nuanced risk assessment tailored to both cancer stage and the specific cancer therapies employed. Such insights contribute to the ongoing efforts to optimize patient care

Coronary artery disease is associated with an increased mortality rate following video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy

To compare the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and mortality following video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy in patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD).publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Coronary artery disease is associated with an increased mortality rate following video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy journaltitle: The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2017.03.042 content_type: article copyright: © 2017 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgerystatus: publishe

Efficacy of avoiding chest drains after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery wedge resection: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Introduction The use of routine postoperative chest drains after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) of the lung is a practice based on tradition with the aim of draining fluid and air. However, new evidence suggests that chest drains can be avoided in selected cases. With this randomised controlled trial, we wish to establish the efficacy and safety of avoiding postoperative chest drains compared with routine postoperative chest drains.Methods and analysis This is a two-centre randomised controlled trial without allocation concealment, but where randomisation occurs after the end of procedure leaving operative personnel blinded during surgery. The sample size is calculated to show a difference in pain measurements using the Numeric Rating Scale under different circumstances and at different time points to show superiority of the intervention. The trial is pragmatic by design to reflect the daily clinical scenario and with the aim of increasing the external validity of the results.Ethics and dissemination Approval by the local ethics committees has been obtained for both sites. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05358158) prior to inclusion. The results of the trial will be disseminated by publication in an international journal and presentation at major international thoracic surgical meetings.Article summary This is a randomised controlled trial estimating the effects of avoiding a chest drain after VATS wedge resection of the lung on pain, total morphine use, quality of life and complications.Trial registration number NCT05358158