Operative versus non-operative management of rib fractures in flail chest after cardiopulmonary resuscitation manoeuvres

OBJECTIVES: Blunt chest trauma after mechanical resuscitation manoeuvres appears to have a significant impact on the often complicated course. Due to a lack of data in the literature, the purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility and immediate outcome of chest wall stabilization for flail chest in this vulnerable patient population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation between January 2014 and December 2018 who were diagnosed with flail chest. We attempted to compare patients after surgery with those after conservative treatment. RESULTS: Of a total of 56 patients with blunt chest trauma after mechanical resuscitation and after coronary angiography, 25 were diagnosed with flail chest. After the exclusion of 2 patients because of an initial decision to palliate, 13 patients after surgical stabilization could be compared with 10 patients after conservative therapy. Although there was no significant difference in the total duration of ventilatory support, there was a significant advantage when the time after stabilization to extubation was compared with the duration of ventilation in the conservative group. The presence of pulmonary contusion, poor Glasgow Coma Scale score or the development of pneumonia negatively affected the outcome, but additional sternal fracture did not. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical stabilization for chest wall instability is well tolerated even by this vulnerable patient population. Our results should be used for further randomized controlled approaches. It is necessary to evaluate the situation with all parameters in an interdisciplinary manner and to decide on a possible surgical therapy at an early stage if possible

Surgical smoke: modern mobile smoke evacuation systems improve occupational safety in the operating theatre.

OBJECTIVES Evaluation of smoke capture efficiency of different mobile smoke evacuation devices with respect to volatile organic compounds and their noise emission. METHODS Electrosurgical incisions were performed on fresh porcine liver in an operating room with vertical laminar flow. The generated surgical smoke was analysed with proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry with and without the use of a mobile smoke evacuation system consisting of a smoke evacuator machine, a suction hose and a handpiece. The inlet of the mass spectrometer was positioned 40 cm above the specimen. Various devices were compared: a hard plastic funnel, a flexible foam funnel, an on-tip integrated aspirator of an electrosurgical knife and a standard secretion suction (Yankauer). Also, sound levels were measured at a distance of 40 cm from the handpieces' inlet. RESULTS The smoke capture efficiency of the secretion suction was only 53%, while foam funnel, plastic funnel and integrated aspirator were all significantly more effective with a clearance of 95%, 91% and 91%, respectively. The mean sound levels were 68 and 59 A-weighted decibels with the plastic and foam funnel, respectively, 66 A-weighted decibels with the integrated aspirator and 63 A-weighted decibels with the secretion suction. CONCLUSIONS Carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic volatile organic compounds in surgical smoke can be efficiently reduced by mobile smoke evacuation system, providing improved protection for medical personnel. Devices specifically designed for smoke evacuation are more efficient than standard suction tools. Noise exposure for the surgeon was lowest with the flexible foam funnel and higher with the other handpieces tested

Randomized Controlled Trial of Thresholds for Drain Removal After Anatomic Lung Resection.

BACKGROUND The criteria for chest drain removal following lung resections remain vague and rely on personal experience instead of evidence. Since pleural fluid resorption is proportional to body weight, a weight-related approach seems reasonable. We examined the feasibility of a weight-adjusted fluid output threshold concerning postoperative respiratory complications and the occurrence of symptomatic pleural effusion after chest drain removal. Our secondary objectives were the length of hospital stay and the pain levels before and after chest drain removal. METHODS Single-center randomized controlled trial including 337 patients planned for open or thoracoscopic anatomical lung resections. Patients were randomized postoperatively into two groups. The chest drain was removed in the study group according to a fluid output threshold calculated by the 5 mL x body weight (in kg) / 24 hours formula. In the control group, our previous traditional fluid threshold of 200 mL/ 24 hours was applied. RESULTS No differences were evident regarding the occurrence of pleural effusion, dyspnea at discharge and 30 days postoperatively. In the logistic regression analysis, the surgical modality was a risk factor for other complications, and age was the only variable influencing postoperative dyspnea. Time to chest drain removal was identical in both groups, and time to discharge was shorter following open surgery in the test group. CONCLUSIONS No increased postoperative complications occurred with this weight-based formula, and a trend toward earlier discharge after open surgery was observed in the test group

Robotics in pulmonology and thoracic surgery: what, why and when?

INTRODUCTION Robot-assisted surgery emerged and evolved in order to increase the surgical precision and due to the need to overcome the drawbacks of conventional minimally invasive surgery. In thoracic surgery the first reported use of a robotic device was in a series of 12 patients with different lung pathologies with the assistance of the DaVinci Robotic Surgical System in 2002. The DaVinci system has been used for various procedures in the field of thoracic surgery since then. While its advantages for the resection of early stage thymoma have been well documented, its role in the treatment of lung cancer and other pathologies is still under investigation. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A systematic literature search was performed on the following medical databases: Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. The search was performed in June 2016 and was limited to material published since the first report of a robotic system for a surgical procedure in 1985. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS The results for various thoracic surgical procedures were analyzed with focus on the benefits and limitations of the robotic system compared to open and thoracoscopic or video-assisted techniques. CONCLUSIONS Although numerous studies have shown the feasibility and safety of robotic surgery for various procedures, they were not able to show superior postoperative outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality in exchange for the higher costs of robotic surgery compared to conventional video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), except for early-stage thymoma resection. Therefore, randomized control trials comparing robotic particularly with VATS, but also with open procedures are required to further evaluate this crucial topic

Clinical and Oncological Outcomes after Uniportal Anatomical Segmentectomy for Stage IA Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background and Objectives: The existing literature comparing sublobar and lobar resection in the treatment of stage IA lung cancer highlights the trend and overall need for further evaluation of minimally invasive, parenchymal-sparing techniques. The role of uniportal minimally invasive segmentectomy in the oncological therapy of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and midterm oncological outcomes of patients who underwent uniportal video-assisted anatomical segmentectomy for pathological stage IA lung cancer. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients with pathological stage IA lung cancer (8th edition UICC) who underwent uniportal minimally invasive anatomical segmentectomy at our institution from January 2015 to December 2018. Results: 85 patients, 54 of whom were men, were included. The median length of hospital stay was 3 days (1.-3. IQR 3–5), whereas 30-day morbidity was 15.3% (13 patients), and the in-hospital mortality rate was 1.2% (1 patient). The 3-year overall survival rate was 87.9% for the total population. It was 90.5% in the IA1 group, 93.3% in the IA2 group, and 70.1% in the IA3 group, respectively. Conclusions: There were satisfactory short-term clinical outcomes with low 30-day morbidity and mortality and promising midterm oncological survival results following uniportal minimally invasive anatomical segmentectomy for pathological stage IA non-small cell lung cancer

Minimally invasive repair of pectus carinatum using the Abramson technique.

In the past, the treatment of pectus carinatum has been managed by open, invasive surgical procedures, which involved the resection of cartilage growth plates (Ravitch procedure). By preventing normal bony growth and maturity, this technique often led to postoperative complications, such as acquired thoracic dystrophy, chronic pain and scarring, and stiffness of the whole anterior chest. Dyspnea and exercise intolerance due to restricted thoracic space and cardiac compression were not uncommon as well. Over the last 2 decades, nonsurgical and minimally invasive approaches have gained ground because it was recognized that simple sternal compression was able to remodel the elastic anterior chest wall and therefore correct pectus carinatum adequately/efficiently, at least in children. However, failure of this compressive brace treatment is not uncommon in adolescents and older patients. Abramson therefore developed a minimally invasive technique for the correction of pectus carinatum using a pectus bar that is placed anteriorly to the sternum. The procedure is less invasive and less risky than a pectus bar inserted for pectus excavatum, but the lateral fixation of the pectus bar in the Abramson procedure remains a challenge. We demonstrate the technical aspects of the procedure step by step including our solution for fixation of the stabilizers

Repair of sternoclavicular joint dislocations with FiberWire®.

PURPOSE Up to 50% of traumatic sternoclavicular joint (SCJ) dislocations need open reduction and fixation to prevent long-term complications and complaints. We present our preferred surgical approach for acute as well as chronic SCJ dislocations, including their outcome. METHODS Five consecutive male patients with a median age of 27 (range 20-49) were treated for traumatic anterior (n = 2) or posterior (n = 3) SCJ dislocation. Open reduction and surgical fixation were achieved by a modified figure-of-eight sutures using Fiberwire®. In anterior dislocations, an additional reconstruction of the costoclavicular ligament was performed. Median follow-up was 11 months (range 9-48) and included clinical evaluation and the use of the DASH questionnaire. RESULTS Open surgical reduction and SCJ repair were successfully achieved in all patients without complications. Repair resulted in very good functional outcomes in all five patients with DASH scores of 0, 8 (n = 3) and 5, 8 (n = 2), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The presented technique allowed simple, effective, and durable repair of the SCJ joint in patients with SCJ dislocations with excellent functional outcomes

Spontaneous right whole-lung torsion secondary to bronchial carcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND Spontaneous whole lung torsion is an absolut rarity and most cases occur after previous surgery. CASE PRESENTATION We present the case of a spontaneous whole-lung torsion in a 82-year old man. The patient was referred to our thoracic surgery department from the emergency department of a referring hospital with rapidly progressive dyspnea. CT-scan revealed a 180° degree counterclockwise torsion of the entire right lung with complete atelectasis and congestion of the upper lobe as well as pleural effusion. Thoracoscopy confirmed lung torsion and revealed hemorrhagic infarction of the upper lobe. Subsequently thoracotomy and upper lobectomy were performed. Most likely the lung torsion occurred due to a combination of pleural effusion and venous congestion with complete atelectasis of the upper lobe as a result of adenocarcinoma of the upper lobe. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge this is the first reported case of a patient presenting with lung torsion as the first symptom of lung cancer. When lung torsion is suspected rapid diagnosis is crucial in order to prevent hemorrhagic lung infarction