Differences in outcomes by race/ethnicity after thoracic surgery in a large integrated health system.

Background: Disparities exist throughout surgery. We aimed to assess for racial/ethnic disparities among outcomes in a large thoracic surgery patient population. Methods: We reviewed all thoracic surgery patients treated at our integrated health system from January 1, 2016-December 31, 2020. Post-operative outcomes including length of stay (LOS), 30-day return to the emergency department (30d-ED), 30-day readmission, 30- and 90-day outpatient appointments, and 30- and 90-day mortality were compared by race/ethnicity. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were performed. Our multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, surgery type, neighborhood deprivation index, insurance, and home region. Results: Of 2730 included patients, 59.4 % were non-Hispanic White, 15.0 % were Asian, 11.9 % were Hispanic, 9.6 % were Black, and 4.1 % were Other. Median (Q1-Q3) LOS (in hours) was shortest among non-Hispanic White (37.3 (29.2-76.1)) and Other (36.5 (29.3-75.4)) patients followed by Hispanic (46.8 (29.9-78.1)) patients with Asian (51.3 (30.7-81.9)) and Black (53.7 (30.6-101.6)) patients experiencing the longest LOS (p < 0.01). 30d-ED rates were highest among Hispanic patients (21.3 %), followed by Black (19.2 %), non-Hispanic White (18.1 %), Asian (13.4 %), and Other (8.0 %) patients (p < 0.01). On multivariable analysis, Hispanic ethnicity (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.43 (95 % CI 1.03-1.97)) and Medicaid insurance (OR 2.37 (95 % CI 1.48-3.81)) were associated with higher 30d-ED rates. No racial/ethnic disparities were found among other outcomes. Conclusions: Despite parity across multiple surgical outcomes, disparities remain related to patient encounters within our system. Health systems must track such disparities in addition to standard clinical outcomes. Key message: While our large integrated health system has been able to demonstrate parity across many major surgical outcomes among our thoracic surgery patients, race/ethnicity disparities persist including in the number of post-operative return trips to the emergency department. Tracking outcome disparities to a granular level such as return visits to the emergency department and number of follow up appointments is critical as health systems strive to achieve equitable care.

The impact of minimally-invasive esophagectomy operative duration on post-operative outcomes.

Background: Esophagectomy, an esophageal cancer treatment mainstay, is a highly morbid procedure. Prolonged operative time, only partially predetermined by case complexity, may be uniquely harmful to minimally-invasive esophagectomy (MIE) patients for numerous reasons, including anastomotic leak, tenuous conduit perfusion and protracted single-lung ventilation, but the impact is unknown. This multi-center retrospective cohort study sought to characterize the relationship between MIE operative time and post-operative outcomes. Methods: We abstracted multi-center data on esophageal cancer patients who underwent MIE from 2010 to 2021. Predictor variables included age, sex, comorbidities, body mass index, prior cardiothoracic surgery, stage, and neoadjuvant therapy. Outcomes included complications, readmissions, and mortality. Association analysis evaluated the relationship between predictor variables and operative time. Multivariate logistic regression characterized the influence of potential predictor variables and operative time on post-operative outcomes. Subgroup analysis evaluated the association between MIE >4 h vs. ≤4 h and complications, readmissions and survival. Results: For the 297 esophageal cancer patients who underwent MIE between 2010 and 2021, the median operative duration was 4.8 h [IQR: 3.7-6.3]. For patients with anastomotic leak (5.1%) and 1-year mortality, operative duration was elevated above the median at 6.3 h [IQR: 4.8-8.6], p = 0.008) and 5.3 h [IQR: 4.4-6.8], p = 0.04), respectively. In multivariate logistic regression, each additional hour of operative time increased the odds of anastomotic leak and 1-year mortality by 39% and 19%, respectively. Conclusions: Esophageal cancer is a poor prognosis disease, even with optimal treatment. Operative efficiency, a modifiable surgical variable, may be an important target to improve MIE patient outcomes.

A clinical review of spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

Primary spontaneous pneumomediastinum is a rare, often benign and self-limited condition defined by air within the mediastinum. However, correctly distinguishing primary spontaneous pneumomediastinum from secondary causes, especially esophageal perforation, remains a diagnostic challenge. There is significant debate regarding the balance of completing a thorough but not overly invasive and costly diagnostic workup. This clinical review aims to gather the limited data regarding spontaneous pneumomediastinum management from case series and retrospective cohort studies, and presents an evaluation algorithm and treatment plan stratified by clinical history. Understanding specifically if the patient presents with coughing versus forceful vomiting is critical to help elucidate the etiology and guide management of pneumomediastinum. Patients who present with forceful vomiting or retching should be considered with higher degree of suspicion for secondary causes of pneumomediastinum, specifically esophageal perforation. However, especially in children, aggressive diagnostic workup is not warranted in every case. After ruling out other etiologies of pneumomediastinum, spontaneous pneumomediastinum can be commonly treated with symptomatic management without the aggressive use of antibiotics or diet restriction. Hospital length of stay may also be minimized on a case-by-case basis. Overall, recurrence of spontaneous pneumomediastinum is rare and outpatient follow up may be safely limited to those at highest risk of recurrence.

Early Abnormal Vital Signs Predict Poor Outcomes in Normotensive Patients Following Penetrating Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Because trauma patients in class II shock (blood loss of 15%-30% of total blood volume) arrive normotensive, this makes the identification of shock and subsequent prognostication of outcomes challenging. Our aim was to identify early predictive factors associated with worse outcomes in normotensive patients following penetrating trauma. We hypothesize that abnormalities in initial vital signs portend worse outcomes in normotensive patients following penetrating trauma. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed from 2006 to 2021 using our trauma database and included trauma patients presenting with penetrating trauma with initial normotensive blood pressures (systolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg). We compared those with a narrow pulse pressure (NPP ≤25% of systolic blood pressure), tachycardia (heart rate ≥100 beats per minute), and elevated shock index (SI ≥ 0.8) to those without. Outcomes included mortality, intensive care unit admission, and ventilator use. Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney tests, and regression analyses were performed as appropriate. RESULTS: We identified 7618 patients with penetrating injuries and normotension on initial trauma bay assessment. On univariate analysis, NPP, tachycardia, and elevated SI were associated with increases in mortality compared to those without. On multivariable logistic regression, only NPP and tachycardia were independently associated with mortality. Tachycardia and an elevated SI were both independently associated with intensive care unit admission. Only an elevated SI had an independent association with ventilator requirements, while an NPP and tachycardia did not. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate trauma bay NPP and tachycardia are independently associated with mortality and adverse outcomes and may provide an opportunity for improved prognostication in normotensive patients following penetrating trauma.

Multiple Casualty Incidents at a Level I Trauma Center: A 15-year Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Limited evidence regarding multiple casualty outcomes exists. Given resource strain with increasing patient load, we hypothesized that patients involved in a multiple casualty incident have worse outcomes compared to standard trauma patients. METHODS: Multiple casualty victims from 2006 to 2021 at our institution were identified; admission data and trauma outcomes were then compared to standard trauma patients. Chi-square tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed for categorical and non-normal continuous data, respectively. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate associations with mortality and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. RESULTS: We identified 39,924 patients, of which 612 were multiple casualty patients (1.5%). Multiple casualty involvement was associated with younger age (29 y versus 44 y, P < 0.001) and higher rates of penetrating trauma (26.1% versus 21.4%; P < 0.001). Multiple casualty involvement was associated with higher injury severity score (ISS) (11.6 versus 7.9, P < 0.001), mortality (2.4% versus 1.5% P < 0.005), and ICU admission (17% versus 13%, P < 0.005). On logistic regression analysis, age, ISS, shock index, presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and mechanism all independently predicted mortality (P ≤ 0.003), while multiple casualty involvement did not (P = 0.302). CONCLUSIONS: Although multiple casualty incidents are associated with patient factors that increase hospital resource strain, when controlling for age, ISS, shock index, presence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and trauma mechanism, involvement in multiple casualty incident was not independently associated with ICU admission or mortality. Improved understanding of the impact of high-volume trauma may allow us to improve our care of this at-risk population.

Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Curative Intent Esophageal Cancer Resection Patients: Real-World Experience within an Integrated Health System.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant immunotherapy has been shown in clinical trials to prolong the survival of patients with esophageal cancer. We report our initial experience with immunotherapy within an integrated health system. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed reviewing patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy at our institution between 2017 and 2021. The immunotherapy cohort was assessed for completion of treatment, adverse effects, and disease progression, with emphasis on patients who received surgery in 2021 and their eligibility to receive nivolumab. RESULTS: There were 39 patients who received immunotherapy and 137 patients who did not. In logistic regression, immunotherapy was not found to have a statistically significant impact on 1-year overall survival after adjusting for age and receipt of adjuvant chemoradiation. Only seven patients out of 39 who received immunotherapy successfully completed treatment (18%), with the majority failing therapy due to disease progression or side effects. Of the 17 patients eligible for nivolumab, 13 patients received it (76.4%), and three patients completed a full course of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Despite promising findings of adjuvant immunotherapy improving the survival of patients with esophageal cancer, real-life practice varies greatly from clinical trials. We found that the majority of patients were unable to complete immunotherapy regimens with no improvement in overall 1-year survival.

Shift in Prehospital Mode of Transportation for Trauma Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced alterations to modes of transportation among trauma patients suffering penetrating injuries. Historically, a small percentage of our penetrating trauma patients use private means of prehospital transportation. Our hypothesis was that the use of private transportation among trauma patients increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and was associated with better outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all adult trauma patients (January 1, 2017 to March 19, 2021), using the date of the shelter-in-place ordinance (March 19, 2020) to separate trauma patients into prepandemic and pandemic patient groups. Patient demographics, mechanism of injury, mode of prehospital transportation, and variables such as initial Injury Severity Score, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, ICU length of stay, mechanical ventilator days, and mortality were recorded. RESULTS: We identified 11,919 adult trauma patients, 9017 (75.7%) in the prepandemic group and 2902 (24.3%) in the pandemic group. The number of patients using private prehospital transportation also increased (from 2.4% to 6.7%, P < 0.001). Between the prepandemic and pandemic private transportation cohorts, there were reductions in mean Injury Severity Score (from 8.1 ± 10.4 to 5.3 ± 6.6: P = 0.02), ICU admission rates (from 15% to 2.4%: P < 0.001), and hospital length of stay (from 4.0 ± 5.3 to 2.3 ± 1.9: P = 0.02). However, there was no difference in mortality (4.1% and 2.0%, P = 0.221). CONCLUSIONS: We found that there was a significant shift in prehospital transportation among trauma patients toward private transportation after the shelter-in-place order. However, this did not coincide with a change in mortality despite a downward trend. This phenomenon could help direct future policy and protocols in trauma systems when battling major public health emergencies.

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy: A Large Integrated Health Care System's Approach and Outcomes.

Introduction Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) may not be as effective in the community compared with clinical trials. Methods The authors reviewed data from the electronic health records of patients who received IORT between February 2014 and February 2020 at a single center within a large integrated health care system. The primary outcome was ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. Results Of 5731 potentially eligible patients, 245 (4.3%) underwent IORT (mean age: 65.4 ± 0.4 years; median follow-up time: 3.5 years ± 2.2 months). According to the American Society for Radiation Oncology's accelerated partial breast irradiation guidelines based on final pathology, 51% of patients were suitable candidates for IORT, 38.4% were cautionary, and 10.6% were unsuitable. For adjuvant therapy, 6.5% had consolidative whole breast irradiation, and 66.4% received endocrine treatment. At the median follow-up time of 3.5 years, overall ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence was 3.7%. Recurrences tended to be more frequent in patients who refused or did not complete endocrine treatment than in those who received it (7.4% vs 1.9%, p = 0.07). The complication rate was 14.7%, with seroma being the most common (8.2%). Discussion The IORT ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate of 3.7% confirms a higher-than-expected rate compared to randomized clinical trials, possibly due to less compliance with endocrine therapy. Conclusion The authors subsequently revised their IORT protocol to require endocrine treatment as a part of the IORT treatment plan and to strongly recommend adjuvant whole breast irradiation for all patients deemed cautionary or unsuitable for IORT according to the American Society for Radiation Oncology's accelerated partial breast irradiation guidelines.

Utilization and Outcomes of Observation for Spontaneous Pneumothorax at an Integrated Health System.

INTRODUCTION: Though limited, recent evidence supports observation rather than intervention for spontaneous pneumothorax management. We sought to compare the utilization and outcomes between observation and intervention for patients with primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothoraces. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all adults presenting to Kaiser Permanente Northern California emergency rooms with spontaneous pneumothorax from 2016 to 2020 was performed. Those with prior pneumothoraces, tension physiology, bilateral pneumothoraces, effusions, and prior thoracic procedures or surgery on the affected side were excluded. Groups included observation versus intervention. Baseline clinicodemographic variables and outcomes were compared. Treatment was considered successful if further interventions were not required for pneumothorax resolution. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, chi-square tests, Fischer exact tests, and multivariable logistic regression models were performed. RESULTS: Of the 386 patients with primary spontaneous pneumothorax, age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, smoking status, and the Charlson comorbidity index were not different between treatment groups. Of 86 patients with secondary spontaneous pneumothorax, age, gender, and smoking status were not different between treatment groups. Among patients with primary pneumothoraces, 83 underwent observation while 303 underwent intervention. The success rate was 92.8% for observation and 60.4% for intervention (P < 0.0001). Among patients with secondary pneumothoraces, 15 underwent observation while 71 underwent intervention, with a successful rate of 73.3% for observation and 32.4% for intervention (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Given the high success rates for observation of both small and moderate primary and secondary pneumothoraces, observation should be considered for clinically stable patients. Observation may be the superior choice for decreasing morbidity and healthcare costs.

Case report on the role of aggressive palliative surgery in lung NUT carcinoma after induction chemoimmunotherapy.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: NUT (nuclear protein in testis) carcinoma of the lung is an aggressive, poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma that has a poor prognosis. Currently, there are no recommended guidelines with limited literature regarding the management of primary NUT carcinoma of the lung. CASE PRESENTATION: A 28-year-old male presented with 2 weeks of intractable chest pain and shortness of breath and was found to have Stage IV pleural NUT carcinoma. After 2 cycles of chemoimmunotherapy, the patient's symptoms persisted with worsening functional status. Palliative surgery was performed via an extrapleural pneumonectomy with significant improvement in symptoms and activities of daily living. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: With no current treatment guidelines, we demonstrate the benefit of surgical resection of advanced pleural NUT carcinoma to improve quality of life. Prognosis is poor with a median survival around 7 months and 3 months with an associated mass. The patient presented pre-operatively with intractable pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath, limiting activities of daily living that persisted despite chemoimmunotherapy. Our surgical goal was to improve the patient's respiratory status and mitigate pain symptoms via extensive surgical debulking. The patient was able to achieve a higher quality of life and survived longer than the median average, passing away 1 year after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The management of NUT carcinoma of the lung remains challenging. The role of surgical resection for palliation in advanced tumors has not been previously described and may provide improved quality of life in carefully selected patients.

Comparison of outcomes between observation and tube thoracostomy for small traumatic pneumothoraces.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic pneumothorax management has evolved to include the use of smaller caliber tube thoracostomy and even observation alone. Data is limited comparing tube thoracostomy to observation for small traumatic pneumothoraces. We aimed to investigate whether observing patients with a small traumatic pneumothorax on initial chest radiograph (CXR) is associated with improved outcomes compared to tube thoracostomy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed trauma patients at our level 1 trauma center from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020. We included those with a pneumothorax size <30 mm as measured from apex to cupola on initial CXR. We excluded patients with injury severity score ≥ 25, operative requirements, hemothorax, bilateral pneumothoraces, and intensive care unit admission. Patients were grouped by management strategy (observation vs tube thoracostomy). Our primary outcome was length of stay with secondary outcomes of pulmonary infection, failed trial of observation, readmission, and mortality. Results are listed as mean ± standard error of the mean. RESULTS: Of patients who met criteria, 39 were in the observation group, and 34 were in the tube thoracostomy group. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. Average pneumothorax size on CXR was 18 ± 1.0 mm in the observation group and 18 ± 0.84 mm in the tube thoracostomy group (p > 0.99). Average pneumothorax sizes on computed tomography were 25 ± 2.1 and 37 ± 3.9 mm in the observation and tube thoracostomy groups, respectively (p = 0.01). Length of stay in the observation group was significantly shorter than the tube thoracostomy group (3.6 ± 0.33 vs 5.8 ± 0.81 days, p < 0.01). While pneumothorax size on computed tomography was associated with tube thoracostomy, only tube thoracostomy correlated with length of stay on multivariable analysis; pneumothorax size on CXR and computed tomography did not. There were no deaths or readmissions in either cohort. One patient in the observation group required tube thoracostomy after 18 h for worsening subcutaneous emphysema, and one patient in the tube thoracostomy group developed an empyema. CONCLUSIONS: Select patients with small traumatic pneumothoraces on initial chest radiograph who were treated with observation experienced an average length of stay over two days shorter than those treated with tube thoracostomy. Outcomes were otherwise similar between the two groups suggesting that an observation-first strategy may be a superior treatment approach for these patients.

Association of Surgical Timing with Outcomes in Early Stage Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Optimal time to surgery for lung cancer is not well established. We aimed to assess whether time to surgery correlates with outcomes. METHODS: We assessed patients 18-84 years old who were diagnosed with stage I/II lung cancer at our integrated healthcare system from 2009 to 2019. Time to surgery was defined to start with disease confirmation (imaging or biopsy) prior to the surgery scheduling date. Outcomes of unplanned return to care within 30 days of lung cancer surgery, all-cause mortality, and disease recurrence were compared based on time to surgery before and after 2, 4, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Of 2861 included patients, 70% were over 65 years old and 61% were female. Time to surgery occurred in 1-2 weeks for 6%, 3-4 weeks for 31%, 5-12 weeks for 58%, and 13-26 weeks for 5% of patients. Patients with time to surgery > 4 (vs. ≤ 4) weeks had greater risk of both death (hazard ratio (HR) 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.39) and recurrence (HR 1.33, 95% CI 1.10-1.62). Associations were not statistically significant when dichotomizing time to surgery at 2 or 12 weeks for death (2 week HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.93-1.64; 12 week HR 1.35, 95% CI 0.97-1.88) and recurrence (2 week HR 1.54, 95% CI 0.85-2.80; 12 week HR 2.28, 95% CI 0.80-6.46). CONCLUSIONS: Early stage lung cancer patients with time to surgery within 4 weeks experienced lower rates of recurrence. Optimal time to surgical resection may be shorter than previously reported.

Comparable Esophagectomy Outcomes by Surgeon Specialty: A NSQIP Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A few observational studies have found that outcomes after esophagectomies by thoracic surgeons are better than those by general surgeons. METHODS: Non-emergent esophagectomy cases were identified in the 2016-2017 American College of Surgeons NSQIP database. Associations between patient characteristics and outcomes by thoracic versus general surgeons were evaluated with univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 1,606 cases, 886 (55.2%) were performed by thoracic surgeons. Those patients differed from patients treated by general surgeons in race (other/unknown 19.3% vs 7.8%; P<.001) but not in other baseline characteristics (age, sex, BMI, and comorbidities). Thoracic surgeons performed an open approach more frequently (48.9% vs 30.8%, P<.001) and had operative times that were 30 minutes shorter (P<.001). General surgeons had lower rates of reoperation (11.8% vs 17.2%; P=.003) and were more likely to treat postoperative leak with interventional means (6.3% vs 3.4%, P=.01). Thoracic surgeons were more likely to treat postoperative leak with reoperation (5.9% vs 3.6%, P=.01). There were no other differences in univariate comparison of outcomes between the two groups, including leak, readmission, and death. General surgery specialty was associated with lower risk of reoperation. Our multivariable model also found no relationship between general surgeon and risk of any complication (odds ratio 1.10; 95% CI .86 to 1.42). DISCUSSION: In our large, national database study, we found that outcomes of esophagectomies by general surgeons were comparable with those by thoracic surgeons. General surgeons managed postoperative leaks differently than thoracic surgeons.

Racial Disparities Among Trauma Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Given the disparate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people of color, we hypothesized that patients of color experienced a disproportionate increase in trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared trauma patients arriving in the 3 y before our statewide stay-at-home mandate on March 20, 2020 (PRE) to those arriving in the year afterward (POST). In addition to race/ethnicity, we assessed patient demographics and other clinical variables. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for univariate analyses. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess for associations with mortality. RESULTS: During the study period, 8583 patients were included in the PRE group and 2883 were included in the POST group. There were increases in penetrating trauma (PRE 14.7%, POST 23.1%; P < 0.001) and mortality rates (PRE 3.20%, POST 4.60%; P < 0.001). From PRE to POST, the percentage of Black patients increased from 35.0% to 38.3% (P = 0.01) and the percentage of Hispanic patients increased from 19.2% to 23.0% (P < 0.001). After a multivariable analysis, Asian patients experienced an independent increase in mortality from PRE to POST (odds ratio 2.00, 95% confidence interval 1.13-3.54, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Penetrating trauma and mortality rates increased during the pandemic. There was a simultaneous increase in the percentage of Black and Hispanic trauma patients. Asian patient mortality increased significantly after the start of the pandemic independent of other variables. Identifying racial/ethnic disparities is the first step in finding ways to improve dissimilar outcomes.

Treatment and post-operative follow-up of pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma: A case report.

Introduction and importance: Pulmonary sclerosing pneumocytoma (PSP) is a rare tumor thought to originate from respiratory epithelial cells. It is usually benign, but may rarely metastasize to lymph nodes. Surgeons face unique challenges in diagnosis and management of this condition, and ideal surgical management is yet to be established. Case presentation: 48-year-old woman with a 7 × 7 mm pulmonary lesion discovered incidentally on computerized tomography (CT) imaging, which grew to 9 mm over the following year. Seven years later, follow-up imaging revealed that the mass had grown to 1.3 cm in largest dimension. Surgery was recommended and the mass was resected via a right video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) middle lobectomy with mediastinal lymph node dissection. All lymph nodes were negative and the patient's postoperative course was unremarkable. Clinical discussion: There are few evidence-based guidelines available on the treatment and postoperative surveillance of PSP. Research has shown comparable recurrence-free survival rates for sublobar resection and lobectomy, though recurrence can occur, especially following sublobar resection in larger or more centrally-located tumors. In absence of established guidelines, it was decided to follow this patient according to NCCN guidelines for surveillance of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer due to potential risk of recurrence. Conclusion: This case report adds to the limited literature on PSP and depicts a possible treatment and postoperative follow-up plan. Right VATS middle lobectomy can effectively treat some cases of central PSP. In absence of established guidelines for postoperative follow-up of PSP, NCCN guidelines may outline one possible strategy for postoperative management.

Surgical approaches to mediastinal cysts: clinical practice review.

The traditional approach to mediastinal cyst and mass resection has been open via median sternotomy or thoracotomy. With the advent of minimally invasive techniques, there have been successful cases completed via video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS). Although mediastinal cysts are uncommon, they are a significant and relevant topic in the practice of thoracic surgery. Thus, this clinical practice review aims to summarize and highlight some of the key case series and retrospective studies in order to provide insight on each of the approaches. In addition, there is a brief review of other approaches, such as subxiphoid, and the utility of endobronchial ultrasound in the management of mediastinal cysts. In this review, the identified benefits of VATS and RATS lie largely in quality improvement of the patient experience-decreased length of stay (LOS) and pain-without compromising patient outcomes. However, the open approach remains a viable option, particularly for the management of large cysts or as a bail-out option. When surgeons approach with VATS or RATS and encounter bleeding or difficult dissection planes, it is consistent in the literature that conversion to thoracotomy is the safe next step. Our clinical practice is to attempt VATS or RATS approach for mediastinal cysts when possible. The data used for this review relies heavily on case reports and case series, and thus is the main limitation of this clinical practice review.