Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery as the gold standard for lung cancer surgery.

Surgical resection remains the only effective means of cure in the vast majority of patients with early-stage lung cancer. It can be performed via a traditional open approach (particularly thoracotomy) or a minimally invasive approach. VATS is 'keyhole' surgery in the chest, and was first used for lung cancer resection in the early 1990s. Since then, a large volume of evolving clinical evidence has confirmed that VATS lung cancer resection offered proven safety and feasibility, better patient-reported post-operative outcomes, less surgical trauma as quantified by objective outcome measures and equivalent or better survival than open surgery. This has firmly established VATS as the surgical approach of choice for early-stage lung cancer today. Although impressive new non-surgical lung cancer therapies have emerged in recent years, VATS is also being constantly rejuvenated by the development of 'next generation' VATS techniques, the refinement of VATS sublobar resection for selected patients, the utilization of bespoke post-operative recovery programmes for VATS and the synthesis of VATS into multi-modality lung cancer therapy. There is little doubt that VATS will remain as the gold standard for lung cancer surgery for the foreseeable future.

The Advent of Ultra-high Volume Thoracic Surgical Centers in Shanghai.

BACKGROUND: A core principle in surgery is that high surgical volumes are conducive toward better outcomes. Ultra-high volume centers (UHVCs) have now emerged in thoracic surgery in China that now perform a volume of thoracic operations far greater than even traditional international centers of excellence. METHODS: In 2016, two hospitals in Shanghai performed over 10,000 major pulmonary, esophageal and mediastinal resections each. A qualitative analysis of the lessons learned in achieving such large operation volumes was undertaken. RESULTS: The advent of these UHVCs gives important insights for not only thoracic surgeons, but for surgical oncologists and surgeons globally. First, these ultra-high volumes were achieved to a large degree by cancer screening-but the success of the screening programs relies on reaching wider patient groups and allowing for affordable 'self-screening.' Second, the ultra-high clinical volumes at UHVCs offer unique opportunities for surgical training and research, potentially changing paradigms for academic surgery. Third, these ultra-high volumes may place new stresses on existing healthcare resources and prompt novel management strategies in response. CONCLUSIONS: The UHVCs represent a revolutionary development in modern surgery, and it behooves surgeons to both accept the challenges and harness the advantages they may bring.

Thoracoscopic segmentectomy for trans-fissure ground-glass opacity.

OBJECTIVES: The trans-fissure ground-glass opacity (GGO) is a special category of lesions, with a diameter always exceeding 2 cm. It is located on a fused fissure, 'seizing' 2 neighbouring lobes simultaneously. The segmentectomy for the trans-fissure GGO is never reported. METHODS: Between August 2016 and December 2022, patients operated with a trans-fissure GGO were included. The patients' backgrounds and surgical data were summarized. All procedures were performed with the help of preoperative three-dimensional computed tomography bronchography and angiography. RESULTS: A total of 84 patients were included. The selection criteria included a consolidation tumour ratio <50% and a lesion size >2 and ≤3 cm. Thirty-six patients were operated with lobectomy + wedge (the traditional method group) and 48 patients were operated with anatomical segmentectomy + function-preserving sublobectomy (the new method group). The median operative time was 87 min in the traditional group and 98 min in the new method group, and the median blood loss was 60 ml in the traditional group and 70 ml in the new method group. The median duration of hospital stays was 4 days in the traditional group and 2 days in the new method group. In the traditional method group, there was 1 case of postoperative air leakage and 5 cases of haemoptysis. In the new method group, 2 cases of postoperative air leakage were identified. The median size of the tumour in the resected segment was 2.6 cm in the traditional group and 2.5 cm in the new method group. The median margin was 2.5 cm in the traditional group and 3.3 cm in the new method group. CONCLUSIONS: The trans-fissure GGO could be safely resected en bloc by segmentectomy with a well-designed surgical procedure and appropriate preoperative planning.

Resectable non-stage IV nonsmall cell lung cancer: the surgical perspective.

Surgery remains an essential element of the multimodality radical treatment of patients with early-stage nonsmall cell lung cancer. In addition, thoracic surgery is one of the key specialties involved in the lung cancer tumour board. The importance of the surgeon in the setting of a multidisciplinary panel is ever-increasing in light of the crucial concept of resectability, which is at the base of patient selection for neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatments within trials and in real-world practice. This review covers some of the topics which are relevant in the daily practice of a thoracic oncological surgeon and should also be known by the nonsurgical members of the tumour board. It covers the following topics: the pre-operative selection of the surgical candidate in terms of fitness in light of the ever-improving nonsurgical treatment alternatives unfit patients may benefit from; the definition of resectability, which is so important to include patients into trials and to select the most appropriate radical treatment; the impact of surgical access and surgical extension with the evolving role of minimally invasive surgery, sublobar resections and parenchymal-sparing sleeve resections to avoid pneumonectomy.

Pathologic classification of adenocarcinoma of lung.

Recently, the 1999/2004 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of adenocarcinoma became less useful from a clinical standpoint as most adenocarcinomas belonged to the mixed subtype and the term bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) gave rise to much confusion among clinicians. For these reasons a new adenocarcinoma classification was introduced in 2011 by a joint working group of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), American Thoracic Society (ATS), and European Respiratory Society (ERS). This represents an international, multidisciplinary effort joining pathologists, molecular biologists, pulmonary physicians, thoracic oncologists, radiologists, and thoracic surgeons. Currently, a distinction is made between pre-invasive lesions, minimally invasive and invasive lesions. The confusing term BAC is not used anymore and new subcategories include adenocarcinoma in situ and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma. Several aspects of this classification are discussed with main emphasis on its correlation with imaging techniques and its impact on diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. On chest computed tomography (CT) a distinction is made between solid and subsolid nodules, the latter comprising ground glass opacities (GGO), and partly solid lesions. Several studies incorporating CT and positron emission tomographic (PET) data show a good imaging-pathologic correlation. With the implementation of screening programs early lung cancer has become a hotly debated topic and sublobar resection is currently reconsidered for early lesions without lymph node involvement. This new classification will also have an impact on the TNM classification. Thoracic surgeons will continue to play a major role in the application, evaluation and further refinement of this new adenocarcinoma classification.

Transition from multiportal video-assisted thoracic surgery to uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery and evolution to uniportal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery?

The greatest disruptive innovation in lung cancer surgery in modern times has been the switch from open thoracotomy to video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). More recently, the transition from multiportal VATS (MVATS) to uniportal VATS (UVATS) has represented another mini-advance in reducing surgical access trauma. In the search for the next breakthrough in lung cancer surgery, a number of promising candidates have emerged, including screening, sublobar resections, 3D technology, enhanced peri-operative care pathways, ablative therapy and multi-modality management. However, could the way forwards be simply a further minimization of surgical access trauma, and could this be achieved by uniportal robotic surgery? Emergence of a 'winning' candidate will depend on a systematic evaluation of the evidence for the benefits and costs of each.

The SUPER reporting guideline suggested for reporting of surgical technique: explanation and elaboration.

Background: Surgical technique plays an essential role in achieving good health outcomes. However, the quality of surgical technique reporting remains heterogeneous. Reporting checklists could help authors to describe the surgical technique more transparently and effectively, as well as to assist reviewers and editors evaluate it more informatively, and promote readers to better understand the technique. We previously developed SUPER (surgical technique reporting checklist and standards) to assist authors in reporting their research that contains surgical technique more transparently. However, further explanation and elaboration of each item are needed for better understanding and reporting practice. Methods: We searched surgical literature in PubMed, Google Scholar and journal websites published up to January 2023 to find multidiscipline examples in various article types for each SUPER item. Results: We explain the 22 items of the SUPER and provide rationales item by item alongside. We provide 69 examples from 53 literature that present optimal reporting of the 22 items. Article types of examples include pure surgical technique, and case reports, observational studies and clinical trials that contain surgical technique. Examples are multidisciplinary, including general surgery, orthopaedical surgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, neurological surgery, oncogenic surgery, and emergency surgery etc. Conclusions: Along with SUPER article, this explanation and elaboration file can promote deeper understanding on the SUPER items. We hope that the article could further guide surgeons and researchers in reporting, and assist editors and peer reviewers in reviewing manuscripts related to surgical technique.

Reporting guidelines for surgical technique could be improved: a scoping review and a call for action.

OBJECTIVES: To identify reporting guidelines related to surgical technique and propose recommendations for areas that require improvement. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A protocol-guided scoping review was conducted. A literature search of MEDLINE, the EQUATOR Network Library, Google Scholar, and Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations was conducted to identify surgical technique reporting guidelines published up to December 31, 2021. RESULTS: We finally included 55 surgical technique reporting guidelines, vascular surgery (n = 18, 32.7%) was the most common among the clinical specialties covered. The included guidelines generally showed a low degree of international and multidisciplinary cooperation. Few guidelines provided a detailed development process (n = 14, 25.5%), conducted a systematic literature review (n = 13, 23.6%), used the Delphi method (n = 4, 7.3%), or described post-publication strategy (n = 6, 10.9%). The vast majority guidelines focused on the reporting of intraoperative period (n = 50, 90.9%). However, of the guidelines requiring detailed descriptions of surgical technique methodology (n = 43, 78.2%), most failed to provide guidance on what constitutes an adequate description. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates significant deficiencies in the development methodology and practicality of reporting guidelines for surgical technique. A standardized reporting guideline that is developed rigorously and focuses on details of surgical technique may serve as a necessary impetus for change.

The SUPER reporting guideline suggested for reporting of surgical technique.

Background: Existing reporting guidelines pay insufficient attention to the detail and comprehensiveness reporting of surgical technique. The Surgical techniqUe rePorting chEcklist and standaRds (SUPER) aims to address this gap by defining reporting standards for surgical technique. The SUPER guideline intends to apply to articles that encompass surgical technique in any study design, surgical discipline, and stage of surgical innovation. Methods: Following the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network approach, 16 surgeons, journal editors, and methodologists reviewed existing reporting guidelines relating to surgical technique, reviewed papers from 15 top journals, and brainstormed to draft initial items for the SUPER. The initial items were revised through a three-round Delphi survey from 21 multidisciplinary Delphi panel experts from 13 countries and regions. The final SUPER items were formed after an online consensus meeting to resolve disagreements and a three-round wording refinement by all 16 SUPER working group members and five SUPER consultants. Results: The SUPER reporting guideline includes 22 items that are considered essential for good and informative surgical technique reporting. The items are divided into six sections: background, rationale, and objectives (items 1 to 5); preoperative preparations and requirements (items 6 to 9); surgical technique details (items 10 to 15); postoperative considerations and tasks (items 16 to 19); summary and prospect (items 20 and 21); and other information (item 22). Conclusions: The SUPER reporting guideline has the potential to guide detailed, comprehensive, and transparent surgical technique reporting for surgeons. It may also assist journal editors, peer reviewers, systematic reviewers, and guideline developers in the evaluation of surgical technique papers and help practitioners to better understand and reproduce surgical technique. Trial Registration: https://www.equator-network.org/library/reporting-guidelines-under-development/reporting-guidelines-under-development-for-other-study-designs/#SUPER.

Tissue tropism of swine influenza viruses and reassortants in ex vivo cultures of the human respiratory tract and conjunctiva.

The 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 (H1N1pdm) virus was generated by reassortment of swine influenza viruses of different lineages. This was the first influenza pandemic to emerge in over 4 decades and the first to occur after the realization that influenza pandemics arise from influenza viruses of animals. In order to understand the biological determinants of pandemic emergence, it is relevant to compare the tropism of different lineages of swine influenza viruses and reassortants derived from them with that of 2009 pandemic H1N1 (H1N1pdm) and seasonal influenza H1N1 viruses in ex vivo cultures of the human nasopharynx, bronchus, alveoli, and conjunctiva. We hypothesized that virus which can transmit efficiently between humans replicated well in the human upper airways. As previously reported, H1N1pdm and seasonal H1N1 viruses replicated efficiently in the nasopharyngeal, bronchial, and alveolar epithelium. In contrast, representative viruses from the classical swine (CS) (H1N1) lineage could not infect human respiratory epithelium; Eurasian avian-like swine (EA) (H1N1) viruses only infected alveolar epithelium and North American triple-reassortant (TRIG) viruses only infected the bronchial epithelium albeit inefficiently. Interestingly, a naturally occurring triple-reassortant swine virus, A/SW/HK/915/04 (H1N2), with a matrix gene segment of EA swine derivation (i.e., differing from H1N1pdm only in lacking a neuraminidase [NA] gene of EA derivation) readily infected and replicated in human nasopharyngeal and bronchial epithelia but not in the lung. A recombinant sw915 with the NA from H1N1pdm retained its tropism for the bronchus and acquired additional replication competence for alveolar epithelium. In contrast to H1N1pdm, none of the swine viruses tested nor seasonal H1N1 had tropism in human conjunctiva. Recombinant viruses generated by swapping the surface proteins (hemagglutinin and NA) of H1N1pdm and seasonal H1N1 virus demonstrated that these two gene segments together are key determinants of conjunctival tropism. Overall, these findings suggest that ex vivo cultures of the human respiratory tract provide a useful biological model for assessing the human health risk of swine influenza viruses.

Expert consensus on indocyanine green fluorescence imaging for thoracoscopic lung resection (The Version 2022).

The use of the white-light thoracoscopy is hampered by the low contrast between oncologic margins and surrounding normal parenchyma. As a result, many patients with in situ or micro-infiltrating adenocarcinoma have to undergo lobectomy due to a lack of tactile and visual feedback in the resection of solitary pulmonary nodules. Near-infrared (NIR) guided indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence imaging technique has been widely investigated due to its unique capability in addressing the current challenges; however, there is no special consensus on the evidence and recommendations for its preoperative and intraoperative applications. This manuscript will describe the development process of a consensus on ICG fluorescence-guided thoracoscopic resection of pulmonary lesions and make recommendations that can be applied in a greater number of centers. Specifically, an expert panel of thoracic surgeons and radiographers was formed. Based on the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations, the consensus was developed in conjunction with the Chinese Guidelines on Video-assisted Thoracoscopy, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines on the management of pulmonary lesions. Each of the statements was discussed and agreed upon with a unanimous consensus amongst the panel. A total of 6 consensus statements were developed. Fluorescence-guided thoracoscopy has unique advantages in the visualization of pulmonary nodules, and recognition and resection of the anterior plane of the pulmonary segment. The expert panel agrees that fluorescence-guided thoracoscopic surgery has the potential to become a routine operation for the treatment of pulmonary lesions.

Tropism and innate host responses of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus in ex vivo and in vitro cultures of human conjunctiva and respiratory tract.

The novel pandemic influenza H1N1 (H1N1pdm) virus of swine origin causes mild disease but occasionally leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death. It is important to understand the pathogenesis of this new disease in humans. We compared the virus tropism and host-responses elicited by pandemic H1N1pdm and seasonal H1N1 influenza viruses in ex vivo cultures of human conjunctiva, nasopharynx, bronchus, and lung, as well as in vitro cultures of human nasopharyngeal, bronchial, and alveolar epithelial cells. We found comparable replication and host-responses in seasonal and pandemic H1N1 viruses. However, pandemic H1N1pdm virus differs from seasonal H1N1 influenza virus in its ability to replicate in human conjunctiva, suggesting subtle differences in its receptor-binding profile and highlighting the potential role of the conjunctiva as an additional route of infection with H1N1pdm. A greater viral replication competence in bronchial epithelium at 33 degrees C may also contribute to the slight increase in virulence of the pandemic influenza virus. In contrast with highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 virus, pandemic H1N1pdm does not differ from seasonal influenza virus in its intrinsic capacity for cytokine dysregulation. Collectively, these results suggest that pandemic H1N1pdm virus differs in modest but subtle ways from seasonal H1N1 virus in its intrinsic virulence for humans, which is in accord with the epidemiology of the pandemic to date. These findings are therefore relevant for understanding transmission and therapy.

Should sublobar resection be offered for screening-detected lung nodules?

The increasing use of low-dose CT for screening for lung cancer will inevitably identify many small, asymptomatic lung nodules and ground-glass opacities (GGOs). Current guidelines for the management of screening-detected lesions tend to advise a conservative approach based on serial imaging and intervention only if 'suspicious' features emerge. However, more recent developments in thoracic surgery and in the understanding of the screening-detected lesions themselves prompt some pertinent questions over this conservatism. Is CT surveillance sufficiently reliable to exclude malignancy? Is it really necessary to hold back on operative biopsy and resection given modern surgical safety and efficacy? Is the option for early surgical therapy a viable one-especially with the availability of sublobar resection today? Modern data suggests that the risk of inaction for some screening-detected lesions may be higher than expected, whereas the potential harm of surgical intervention may be substantially reduced by sublobar resection and the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques. A more pro-active approach towards offering surgery for screening-detected lesions should now be considered.

Evidence on reporting guidelines for surgical technique in clinical disciplines: a scoping review protocol.

BACKGROUND: The reporting of surgical techniques is of mixed quality, with most at a very minimal level. Reporting guidelines that could be applied to guide surgical technique reporting vary in methodology for development, discipline coverage, dimension coverage and detail requested. However, a scoping review that could indicate the gaps and efforts needed in surgical technique reporting guidelines is lacking and warranted. This study aims to design a methodological rigour protocol to guide the development of a scoping review of surgical technique reporting guidelines. METHODS: This protocol is designed following the 2020 manual proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. To further ensure the soundness of the protocol, we also included multidisciplinary professionals (including methodologists, clinicians, and journal editors) to refine the protocol. DISCUSSION: Seven key steps for developing the scoping review are identified and presented in detail, including (I) identifying the research questions; (II) inclusion criteria; (III) search strategy; (IV) source of evidence selection; (V) data extraction; (VI) analysis of the evidence; and (VII) presentation of the results. Guided by this protocol, the subsequent scoping review will inform us the overview of surgical technique reporting guidelines and precisely guide our direction and next steps in improving surgical technique reporting guidelines. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol is not registered as the PROSPERO database only accepts registration of systematic review protocols while does not accept registration of scoping review protocols.

Developing the surgical technique reporting checklist and standards: a study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Standardized and transparent reporting of surgical technique is the cornerstone of effective dissemination, implementation and improvement. However, current reporting of surgical techniques is inadequate. The existing guidelines potentially applied to guide surgical technique reporting are with a minimal highlight of the surgical technique, lack requirements explaining what extent and dimensions need to be described in detail, or are unlikely to extrapolate to a wide range of surgical techniques. This study aims to formulate a rigorous protocol to develop a surgical technique reporting checklist and standards (SUPER) that defines what a clear, comprehensive and detailed surgical technique report should be contained. METHODS: This protocol is designed following the classic guidance for developing reporting guidelines recommended by the EQUATOR network. RESULTS: The development team will consist of surgeons (~80%), methodologists, and journal editors. The draft checklist sources will include a scoping review of existing reporting guidelines related to surgical technique, surgical technique articles from 15 top journals published in the last year, and brainstorming by the multidisciplinary development team. The final SUPER checklist will be formed after three rounds of Delphi surveys, one round of face-to-face meeting, and a month-long pilot test. The SUPER checklist will be published as open-access and be used in combination with existing reporting guidelines related to surgical techniques (e.g., IDEAL). This protocol will steer the SUPER checklist's development, allowing us to further elaborate surgical technique reporting for all surgical specialties, and enabling a more favorable experience for surgeons, nurses, medical students, residents, editors, and reviewers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at the EQUATOR network on December 18th, 2020. Available at: https://www.equator-network.org/library/reporting-guidelines-under-development/reporting-guidelines-under-development-for-other-study-designs/.

Systems-level comparison of host responses induced by pandemic and seasonal influenza A H1N1 viruses in primary human type I-like alveolar epithelial cells in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Pandemic influenza H1N1 (pdmH1N1) virus causes mild disease in humans but occasionally leads to severe complications and even death, especially in those who are pregnant or have underlying disease. Cytokine responses induced by pdmH1N1 viruses in vitro are comparable to other seasonal influenza viruses suggesting the cytokine dysregulation as seen in H5N1 infection is not a feature of the pdmH1N1 virus. However a comprehensive gene expression profile of pdmH1N1 in relevant primary human cells in vitro has not been reported. Type I alveolar epithelial cells are a key target cell in pdmH1N1 pneumonia. METHODS: We carried out a comprehensive gene expression profiling using the Affymetrix microarray platform to compare the transcriptomes of primary human alveolar type I-like alveolar epithelial cells infected with pdmH1N1 or seasonal H1N1 virus. RESULTS: Overall, we found that most of the genes that induced by the pdmH1N1 were similarly regulated in response to seasonal H1N1 infection with respect to both trend and extent of gene expression. These commonly responsive genes were largely related to the interferon (IFN) response. Expression of the type III IFN IL29 was more prominent than the type I IFN IFNß and a similar pattern of expression of both IFN genes was seen in pdmH1N1 and seasonal H1N1 infection. Genes that were significantly down-regulated in response to seasonal H1N1 but not in response to pdmH1N1 included the zinc finger proteins and small nucleolar RNAs. Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway over-representation analysis suggested that these genes were associated with DNA binding and transcription/translation related functions. CONCLUSIONS: Both seasonal H1N1 and pdmH1N1 trigger similar host responses including IFN-based antiviral responses and cytokine responses. Unlike the avian H5N1 virus, pdmH1N1 virus does not have an intrinsic capacity for cytokine dysregulation. The differences between pdmH1N1 and seasonal H1N1 viruses lay in the ability of seasonal H1N1 virus to down regulate zinc finger proteins and small nucleolar RNAs, which are possible viral transcriptional suppressors and eukaryotic translation initiation factors respectively. These differences may be biologically relevant and may represent better adaptation of seasonal H1N1 influenza virus to the host.

Developing training for uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery: a commentary.

OBJECTIVES: Today, thoracic surgeons have many possible pathways to advance their training in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). For uniportal VATS (uVATS) in particular, what are the training options available and does regulating training matter? METHODS: The relevant literature pertaining to uVATS training is reviewed. RESULTS: Current options for surgeons looking to train in uVATS range from videos on the internet, through 'experts' demonstrating live surgery, to symposia and hands-on wet labs being held in all regions of the world. All have merits, and the aspiring VATS surgeon can choose from a range of preceptorship and proctorship modules to suit his/her own training needs. However, issues in the formalizing training in uVATS remains unresolved. Is there an ideal pathway through uVATS training? At what point can a trainee be considered to have 'graduated' to become an expert in uVATS? Who indeed trains the trainer, and certifies the competence of a training centre? CONCLUSIONS: Although a plethora of training options exist, formulation of a robust training curriculum can further bolster the status of uVATS as a sustainable surgical approach that can be delivered with consistent quality.

Implementation of a pulmonary thromboembolism prophylaxis program in Chinese lung surgery patients: compliance and effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: Most studies on prophylaxis against pulmonary embolism (PE) after lung surgery have come from the West. Whether such prophylactic programs can be successfully developed in China has not been fully studied. METHODS: A prospective observational trial included 581 Chinese patients receiving lung resection surgery between August 8 and September 12 of 2017. The Caprini score was assessed on the first postoperative day (POD1). For PE prophylaxis, patients with a low score (0-4, n=55) received early ambulation, and those with a high score (≥5, n=526) received early ambulation combined with low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH) injection. PE incidence and the compliance with this protocol was recorded. RESULTS: Three patients (0.52%) developed PE and all 3 were in the high-risk group, but LMWH was not given (non-compliance). Within the non-compliance patients (n=275), the incidence of PE was 1.09%, higher than that in the compliance patients (0%). The rate of non-compliance with the program was 47.3% (275/581) in the entire cohort. The factors associated with non-compliance were: extended lobectomy performed (9.2% vs. 1.0%, P<0.001); higher volume of postoperative chest drainages (278 vs. 239 mL, P=0.028). The non-compliance group had longer duration of ICU stay (mean of 1.3 vs. 1.1 days, P<0.001); and longer overall hospital stay (mean of 9.7 vs. 8.5 days, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Developing a PE prophylaxis program for patients receiving lung surgery in China contributed to lowering the risk of PE. Failure of compliance in patients with high risk for PE after lung surgery may be linked to worse outcomes.

Methods for Dissecting Intersegmental Planes in Segmentectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The perioperative outcomes of the use of stapling devices versus electrocautery to dissect intersegmental planes in patients undergoing segmentectomy for small pulmonary lesions is still unclear. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to compare the perioperative outcomes of these two methods. METHODS: A single-center, prospective, participant-blinded, randomized controlled trial (NCT03192904) was conducted with a preplanned sample size of 136. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative complications. Secondary outcomes included duration of operation, blood loss during operation, first-day drainage volume, duration of drainage, postoperative hospital stay, loss of lung function, and medical costs. RESULTS: The trial was stopped early as a result of a marked difference in the primary outcome between groups at a scheduled interim check of the data after recruiting 70 patients. The incidence of postoperative complications (eg, air leakage) was higher in the electrocautery group than in the stapler device group (11/32, 34.4% vs 2/33, 6.1%, P = .004). There were no differences in duration of operation, blood loss during operation, first-day drainage volume, duration of drainage, postoperative hospital stays, loss of lung function, or total medical cost, although the per-patient cost of medical materials was higher in the stapler device group (US$4214.6 ± 1185.4 vs $3260.1 ± 852.6, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing segmentectomy, the use of stapler devices to divide intersegmental planes decreased postoperative complications without further compromising lung function or increasing economic burden.