ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a central venous catheter for thoracic drainage after video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy compared with a conventional chest tube.MethodsThis study collected 200 patients with lung cancer who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy and systematic hilar and mediastinal lymph node dissection between January 2018 and September 2019 in our hospital. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, including a group A (left with 28F chest tubes postoperatively) and a group B (left with 12G central venous catheters postoperatively). Patients in both groups were left with 2 chest tubes after upper lobectomy and 1 chest tube after middle or lower lobectomy. Duration and total volume of drainage, length of hospital stay, maximum visual analogue scale score and so forth were compared between the two groups.ResultsFinally, 151 patients were included for analysis. There were 73 patients in the group A, including 26 males and 47 females, with an average age of 55.38±9.95 years, and 78 patients in the group B, including 37 males and 41 females, with an average age of 59.86±10.18 years. No statistical difference was found between the two groups in drainage volume on postoperative day 2, and proportion of prolonged air leaks, hemothorax, chylothorax or drain reinsertion (all P>0.05). There was a statistical difference in drainage volume on postoperative day 1 [200.0 (120.0, 280.0) mL vs. 57.5 (10.0, 157.5) mL, P=0.000], postoperative day 3 [155.0 (100.0, 210.0) mL vs. 150.0 (80.0, 215.0) mL, P=0.023], total volume of drainage [890.0 (597.5, 1 530.0) mL vs. 512.5 (302.5, 786.3) mL,P=0.000], maximum pain score (2.29±0.72 points vs. 2.09±0.51 points, P=0.013) and length of hospital stay [7 (7, 9) d vs. 5 (4, 7) d, P=0.000].ConclusionCompared with conventional chest tubes, central venous catheters for chest drainage in patients with lung cancer after thoracoscopic lobectomy shortens the length of hospital stay and reduces postoperative pain.
Objective To explore the safety and feasibility of preferential manual bronchoplasty in single-port video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) upper lobectomy. MethodsThe clinical data of 457 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent single-port VATS lobectomy in the Department of Thoracic Surgery of Peking University First Hospital from March 2020 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into a preferential manual bronchoplasty group and a traditional single-port VATS lobectomy group with a 1 : 1 propensity score matching for further research. Results A total of 204 patients were matched, and there were 102 patients in each group. There were 50 males and 52 females aged 62.2±10.1 years in the preferential bronchoplasty group, and 49 males and 53 females aged 61.2±10.7 years in the traditional single-port VATS group. The preferential bronchoplasty group had shorter surgical time (154.4±37.0 min vs. 221.2±68.9 min, P<0.01), less bleeding (66.5±116.9 mL vs. 288.6±754.5 mL, P=0.02), more lymph node dissection (19.8±7.5 vs. 15.2±4.7, P<0.01), and a lower conversion rate to multi-port or open surgery (2.3% vs. 13.8%, P=0.04) in left upper lobe resection. In the right upper lobe resection surgery, there was no statistical difference in postoperative results between two groups. There was no perioperative death or occurrence of bronchopleural fistula in both groups. ConclusionCompared with traditional single-port VATS upper lobectomy, preferential bronchoplasty has similar safety and feasibility. In addition, priority bronchoplasty in left upper lobectomy has the advantages of shorter surgical time, less bleeding, more lymph node dissection, and lower conversion rate to multi-port or open surgery.
Objective To investigate the efficacy of early, short-term, low-dose corticosteroid administration for the prevention and treatment of early acute lung injury (EALI) in patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, from January 2019 to January 2022. Patients were divided into an early steroid therapy group and an observation group based on whether they received corticosteroids in the early postoperative period. In the early steroid therapy group, in addition to standard postoperative care, patients received a low-dose intravenous push of methylprednisolone (80-120 mg/d) for 3 consecutive days. In the observation group, patients received standard postoperative care without intravenous corticosteroids for the first 3 days. Chest plain CT scans were performed on postoperative day (POD) 1 and POD 3 or 4 to evaluate lung injury. CT scores and the incidence of postoperative EALI were recorded. ResultsA total of 521 patients were included (268 males, 253 females; age range: 11-80 years). There were 318 patients in the observation group and 203 in the early steroid therapy group. On POD 1, the incidence of EALI was 16.0% in the observation group and 13.8% in the early steroid therapy group, with no statistical difference (P=0.486). Correspondingly, there was no statistical difference in chest CT scores among EALI-positive patients between the two groups (P=0.927). On POD 3-4, the incidence of EALI was significantly lower in the early steroid therapy group (22.7%) compared to the observation group (33.6%) (P=0.007). Although chest CT scores among EALI-positive patients were lower in the early steroid therapy group, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.377). The overall incidence of EALI within the first 4 postoperative days was significantly lower in the early steroid therapy group (26.1%) than in the observation group (37.4%) (P=0.007). Radiological progression (defined as new-onset EALI or progression of existing EALI) occurred in 14.8% of the early steroid therapy group, significantly lower than the 28.9% in the observation group (P<0.001). The early steroid therapy group had a shorter postoperative length of stay (P<0.001), while there was no statistical difference in the incidence of poor wound healing between the groups (P=0.762). Conclusion Early postoperative corticosteroid use effectively reduces the incidence of EALI on POD 3-4, lowers the risk of radiological progression, and decreases the overall incidence of postoperative EALI. This is achieved without prolonging the length of stay or increasing the risk of poor wound healing. Therefore, early administration of low-dose corticosteroids is beneficial in suppressing the occurrence and progression of EALI. Its early use is recommended for patients at high risk for postoperative EALI.
ObjectiveTo study the correlation between Periostin, interleukin-33 (IL-33), and chronic cough after thoracoscopic lobectomy in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) combined with lung cancer. Methods A total of 102 lung cancer and coronary heart disease patients at Tianjin Chest Hospital from January 2022 to January 2024 were prospectively enrolled, and they were divided into a chronic cough group (n=42) and a non-chronic cough group (n=60) based on whether chronic cough occurred after surgery. Serum levels of Periostin and IL-33 were measured on the 1st, 7th, and 14th days post-lobectomy. The Pearson method was employed to analyze the correlation between Periostin and IL-33 levels and the severity of cough. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing the occurrence of chronic cough. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was utilized to assess the potential value of serum Periostin and IL-33 levels in predicting postoperative chronic cough. Results In patients with chronic cough, the peripheral blood Periostin and IL-33 levels measured on days 7 and 14 were significantly higher than those in patients with non-chronic cough, and the interactions between the two groups and at different time points were significant (P<0.001). The degree of cough was positively correlated with the levels of Periostin and IL-33 on days 7 and 14 (P<0.05), but had no significant correlation with the levels on day 1 (P>0.05). In patients with lung cancer, after thoracoscopic lobectomy, Periostin [OR=1.619, 95%CI (1.295, 2.025)] and IL-33 [OR=1.831, 95%CI (1.216, 2.758)] on day 7 and Periostin [OR=1.952, 95%CI (1.306, 2.918)] and IL-33 [OR=1.742, 95%CI (1.166, 2.603)] on day 14 were identified as risk factors for chronic cough. ROC curve analysis showed that the sensitivity of Periostin on day 7 was 69.05%, the specificity was 71.67%, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.756 [95%CI (0.616, 0.893)]. The sensitivity of Periostin on day 14 increased to 71.43% and the specificity was 76.67%, AUC was 0.762 [95%CI (0.633, 0.898)]. At the same time, the critical value of IL-33 on day 7 was 45.03 pg/mL, the sensitivity and specificity were both 83.33%, the AUC was 0.884 [95%CI (0.789, 0.980)], and the critical value of IL-33 on day 14 was 56.01 pg/mL, the sensitivity was 85.71%, the specificity was 80.00%, and the AUC was 0.899 [95%CI (0.799, 0.999)]. Joint logistic regression analysis of Periostin and IL-33 levels on days 7 and 14 showed showed that the sensitivity was 95.24%, the specificity was 95.00%, and the AUC reached 0.993 [95%CI (0.979, 1.000)]. ConclusionPeriostin and IL-33 levels, measured at various time points, are abnormally elevated following thoracoscopic lobectomy in patients with combined CABG and lung cancer. These levels significantly correlate with cough severity. Given their predictive potential for chronic cough, these markers are deemed valuable biomarkers.
Objective To investigate the relationship between preoperative mean daily step counts and pulmonary complications after thoracoscopic lobectomy in elderly patients. Methods From 2018 to 2021, the elderly patients with pulmonary complications after thoracoscopic lobectomy were included. A 1∶1 propensity score matching was performed with patients without pulmonary complications. The clinical data were compared between the two groups. ResultsTotally, 100 elderly patients with pulmonary complications were enrolled, including 78 males and 22 females, aged 66.4±4.5 years. And 100 patients without pulmonary complications were matched, including 71 males and 29 females aged 66.2±5.0 years. There was no significant difference in the preoperative data between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared to the patients with pulmonary complications, the ICU stay was shorter (8.1±4.4 h vs. 12.9±7.5 h, P＜0.001), the first out-of-bed activity time was earlier (8.8±4.5 h vs. 11.2±6.1 h, P=0.002), and the tube incubation time was shorter (19.3±9.2 h vs. 22.5±9.4 h, P=0.015) in the patients wihout pulmonary complications. There was no statistical difference in other perioperative data between the two groups (P>0.05). The mean daily step counts in the pulmonary complications group were significantly less than that in the non-pulmonary complications group (4 745.5±2 190.9 steps vs. 6 821.1±2 542.0 steps, P＜0.001). The daily step counts showed an upward trend for three consecutive days in the two groups, but the difference was not significant. Conclusion The decline of preoperative mean daily step counts is related to pulmonary complications after thoracoscopic lobectomy in elderly patients. Recording daily step counts can promote preoperative active exercise training for hospitalized patients.