Number of Ribs Resected is Associated with Respiratory Complications Following Lobectomy with en bloc Chest Wall Resection.
Pulmonary lobectomy with en bloc chest wall resection is a common strategy for treating lung cancers invading the chest wall. We hypothesized a direct relationship exists between number of ribs resected and postoperative respiratory complications.



An institutional database was queried for patients with non-small cell lung cancer that underwent lobectomy with en bloc chest wall resection between 2003 and 2014. Propensity matching was used to identify a cohort of patients who underwent lobectomy via thoracotomy without chest wall resection. Patients were propensity matched on age, gender, smoking history, FEV1, and DLCO. The relationship between number of ribs resected and postoperative respiratory complications (bronchoscopy, re-intubation, pneumonia, or tracheostomy) was examined.



Sixty-eight patients (34 chest wall resections; 34 without chest wall resection) were divided into 3 cohorts: cohort A = 0 ribs resected (n = 34), cohort B = 1-3 ribs resected (n = 24), and cohort C = 4-6 ribs resected (n = 10). Patient demographics were similar between cohorts. The 90-day mortality rate was 2.9 % (2/68) and did not vary between cohorts. On multivariate analysis, having 1-3 ribs resected (OR 19.29, 95 % CI (1.33, 280.72); p = 0.03), 4-6 ribs resected [OR 26.66, (1.48, 481.86); p = 0.03), and a lower DLCO (OR 0.91, (0.84, 0.99); p = 0.02) were associated with postoperative respiratory complications.



In patients undergoing lobectomy with en bloc chest wall resection for non-small cell lung cancer, the number of ribs resected is directly associated with incidence of postoperative respiratory complications.
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Nicole M
NM
Geissen
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Robert
R
Medairos
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Edgar
E
Davila
Departments of Preventative Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Sanjib
S
Basu
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
William H
WH
Warren
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Gary W
GW
Chmielewski
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Michael J
MJ
Liptay
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA.
Andrew T
AT
Arndt
Departments of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, 1725 W. Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA. christopher_w_seder@rush.edu.
Christopher W
CW
Seder
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal; D007902:Length of Stay; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods* / Q000401:mortality; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011653:Pulmonary Diffusing Capacity; D012272:Ribs / Q000601:surgery*; D035441:Thoracic Wall / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013908:Thoracotomy; D014139:Tracheostomy
Cancer; Chest Wall; Lung; Outcomes