Evaluation of the necessity for chest drain placement following thoracoscopic wedge resection.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the outcomes of patients who underwent thoracoscopic wedge resection without chest drain placement.


METHODS
The subjects of this retrospective study were 89 patients, who underwent thoracoscopic wedge resection at our hospital between January, 2013 and July, 2015. A total of 45 patients whose underlying condition did not meet the following criteria were assigned to the "chest drain placement group" (group A): peripheral lesions, healthy lung parenchyma, no intraoperative air leaks, hemorrhage or effusion accumulation, and no pleural adhesion. The other 44 patients whose underlying condition met the criteria were assigned to the "no chest drain placement group" (group B). Patient characteristics, specimen data, and postoperative conditions were analyzed and compared between the groups.


RESULTS
Group A patients had poorer forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) values, less normal spirometric results, significantly higher resected lung volume, a greater maximum tumor-pleura distance, and a larger maximum tumor size. They also had a longer postoperative hospital stay. There was no difference between the two groups in postoperative complications.


CONCLUSIONS
Avoiding chest drain placement after a thoracoscopic wedge resection appears to be safe and beneficial for patients who have small peripheral lesions and healthy lung parenchyma.
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Ting-Yu
TY
Lu
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Jian-Xun
JX
Chen
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Pin-Ru
PR
Chen
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Yu-Sen
YS
Lin
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Chien-Kuang
CK
Chen
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Pei-Yu
PY
Kao
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Tzu-Ming
TM
Huang
Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, No. 2, Yude Rd., North Dist., 404, Taichung City, Taiwan. seawindss@hotmail.com.
Hsin-Yuan
HY
Fang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015505:Chest Tubes / Q000009:adverse effects; D004322:Drainage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011013:Pneumonectomy / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
Chest tubes; Drainage; Pulmonary surgical procedure; Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
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