An evaluation of the surgical morbidity of polyglycolic acid felt in pulmonary resections.
OBJECTIVE
Several methods using various materials have so far been reported to repair pulmonary air leaks, which is an essential problem in general thoracic surgery. Although the efficacy of these materials has been often discussed, the safety has only rarely been examined. This study evaluated the safety of polyglycolic acid (PGA) felt, one of the most commonly materials employed at this institute.


METHODS
A total of 1026 patients who underwent a pulmonary resection from January 2000 to December 2007 were enrolled in this study. The status of PGA use, type of surgery, and incidence and type of surgical site infection (SSI) were reviewed retrospectively from the clinical records.


RESULTS
Three hundred and forty-four patients were treated with PGA. Although two patients in the PGA group underwent a reoperation, PGA itself was not causative. In one case, the PGA felt strictly adhered to both the parietal and visceral pleura.


CONCLUSIONS
Polyglycolic acid felt can be used safely in general thoracic surgery and did not influence the incidence or type of SSI. Surgeons should be aware of the possibility of adhesion around the material at the time of re-operation, and the criteria of PGA use should be strictly discussed.
Nakamura
Toru
T
Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital, 2-12-12 Sumiyoshi, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, 430-8558, Japan.
Suzuki
Kazuya
K
Mochizuki
Takahiro
T
Ohde
Yasuhisa
Y
Kobayashi
Hiroshi
H
Toyoda
Futoru
F
D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008168:Lung / Q000601:surgery*; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014945:Wound Healing
D015718:Fibrin Tissue Adhesive; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid