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IntroductionBoth thoracic epidural analgesia and thoracic paravertebral analgesia are effective techniques to control pain and minimize the stress response following thoracic surgery. We hypothesized that continuous neuraxial techniques may be associated with a decrease in the incidence of postoperative mortality after thoracotomy. Additionally, we aimed to identify subgroup populations that may benefit more from neuraxial anesthesia.Method1620 patients who underwent open thoracotomy were included in this retrospective study from the German Thoracic Registry database at four university hospitals. All-cause inpatient mortality was determined for patients who had and did not have neuraxial anesthesia. Logistic regression was used to adjust for and explore various covariates.ResultsContinuous neuraxial analgesia was associated with a lower overall mortality in the postoperative period (2.9%, 23/796 vs 5.3%, 44/824, p=0.02) only after the univariate analysis but not the multivariable analysis (OR 0.49, 95 % CI 0.237 to 1.12, p=0.15). In patients with epidural or paravertebral catheters, mortality was significantly lower in the following subgroups: age >75 (5/113 vs 18/77, OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.67, p=0.02), American Society of Anesthesiologists Performance Score >III (11//97 vs 33/155, OR 0.32, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.89, p=0.03), chronic kidney disease (5/83 vs 16/77, OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.82, p=0.03), and postoperative sepsis (9/21 vs 17/25, OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.44, p<0.01).ConclusionsNeuraxial analgesic techniques are associated with reductions in postoperative mortality after open thoracic surgery in selected patients.

Objective To compare long term survival after minimally invasive lobectomy and thoracotomy lobectomy.Design Propensity matched analysis.Setting Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database.Participants All patients with lung cancer from 2007 to 2009 undergoing lobectomy.Main outcome measure Influence of less invasive thoracoscopic surgery on overall survival, disease-free survival, and cancer specific survival.Results From 2007 to 2009, 6008 patients undergoing lobectomy were identified (n=4715 (78%) thoracotomy). The median age of the entire cohort was 74 (interquartile range 70-78) years. The median length of follow-up for entire group was 40 months. In a matched analysis of 1195 patients in each treatment category, no statistical differences in three year overall survival, disease-free survival, or cancer specific survival were found between the groups (overall survival: 70.6% v 68.1%, P=0.55; disease-free survival: 86.2% v 85.4%, P=0.46; cancer specific survival: 92% v 89.5%, P=0.05).Conclusion This propensity matched analysis showed that patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy had similar overall, cancer specific, and disease-free survival compared with patients undergoing thoracotomy lobectomy. Thoracoscopic techniques do not seem to compromise these measures of outcome after lobectomy.

Minimally invasive techniques for aortic valve replacement have become increasingly popular. The most common minimally invasive approaches are mini-sternotomy and right anterior mini-thoracotomy. We aimed to review the literature and compare clinical outcomes for these two approaches. Three databases were assessed. The primary endpoint was perioperative mortality. The secondary endpoints were reoperation for bleeding, stroke, operation duration, intensive care unit length of stay, cardiopulmonary bypass time, cross-clamping time, hospital length of stay, paravalvular leak, renal complications, conversion to full sternotomy, permanent pacemaker implantation, and wound infection. Random effects models were performed. Ten studies were included in the meta-analysis (30,524 patients). There was no difference in perioperative mortality between groups (odds ratio: 0.83; 95% confidence interval 0.57-1.21; P=0.33). In comparison with mini-sternotomy, right anterior mini-thoracotomy showed higher rates of reoperation for bleeding (odds ratio: 0.69; 95% confidence interval 0.50-0.97; P=0.03), lower rates of stroke (odds ratio: 1.27; 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.60; P=0.04), and longer operation duration (standard mean difference: -0.58; 95% confidence interval -1.01 to -0.14; P=0.01). Other secondary endpoints were not statistically significant. The results suggest that both techniques present similar perioperative mortality rates for aortic valve replacement. However, right anterior mini-thoracotomy is associated with higher rates of reoperation for bleeding, lower rates of stroke, and longer operation duration time.

In this study, we aimed to compare the outcomes of left anterior mini-thoracotomy and conventional sternotomy in on-pump multivessel coronary revascularization. Two hundred sixty-two patients who underwent minimally invasive coronary artery bypass grafting through the left anterior mini-thoracotomy and conventional coronary artery bypass grafting with full sternotomy were included. All patients were divided into two groups - 132 patients who underwent minimally invasive multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting in Group I, and 130 patients with full sternotomy in Group II. Intraoperative variables (cross-clamping time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, etc.), postoperative parameters (drainage amount, revision, intensive care and hospital stay times, etc.), and mortality were analyzed retrospectively. Cardiopulmonary bypass time (152.24 ± 36.4 minutes) was significantly longer in Group I than in Group II (102.24 ± 19.4 minutes) (P<0.001). Cross-clamping time (86 ± 13.2 minutes) was significantly longer in Group I than in Group II (62 ± 21.4 minutes) (P<0.001). And intensive care stay time (P=0.005) and hospital stay time (P=0.004) were significantly shorter in Group I. In the postoperative period, six patients in Group I and seven patients in Group II were revised due to bleeding. Total perioperative mortality was one patient in both groups (P=0.82). Multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting through the left anterior mini-thoracotomy is an effective, reliable, and successful method, due to less drainage amount and less blood transfusion need, shorter intensive care and hospital stays, faster return to daily life, and better cosmetic results compared to conventional methods.

Re-thoracotomy due to pericardial effusion is a frequent complication after aortic surgery, leading to prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays and adverse outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the frequency of re-thoracotomy and postoperative atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing ascending aorta replacement with or without posterior left pericardiotomy. We retrospectively analysed clinical data from patients who underwent elective ascending aorta replacement with or without aortic root between January 2014 and June 2024. Patients were divided into two groups based on posterior left pericardiotomy. We assessed re-thoracotomy due to bleeding or pericardial effusion, postoperative atrial fibrillation, ICU and in-hospital stay, as well as mortality rates, adjusting for confounders using propensity score matching. A total of 256 patients could be included (n = 140 without and n = 116 with posterior left pericardiotomy). Mean age was 61.6 ±12.2 years, with 27.7% female patients. After matching, re-thoracotomy (12.9% vs 3.4%; P = 0.007) and postoperative atrial fibrillation (36.4% vs 16.4%; P = 0.011) were higher in patients without pericardiotomy. Thirty-day and 1-year mortality were 1.3% and 4.2%, respectively. Posterior left pericardiotomy was associated with shorter ventilation time (8.0 vs 15.0 hours; P < 0.001) and hospital stay (8.0 vs 12.0 days; P < 0.001). Similar results were observed between the unmatched and the matched cohort. Posterior left pericardiotomy is a simple surgical manoeuvre associated with lower rates of re-thoracotomy and postoperative atrial fibrillation in elective aortic surgery patients in a retrospective cohort. Further prospective randomized trials should be performed to confirm and highlight the results from our study.

Abstract Objectives A minimally invasive approach by a right mini-thoracotomy has been developed for surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. However, the efficacy and safety compared to a median sternotomy remains unclear. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for eligible studies. Meta-analysis was performed for primary (recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmias at 1 and 2 years) and secondary (hospital and ICU stay, adverse events, 30-day mortality, cardiopulmonary bypass, and aortic cross-clamp time) end-points. We compared end-points using risk ratio (RR) for binary outcomes and mean difference (MD) for continuous ones. We calculated 95% confidence intervals (CI) and used the random-effects model for all outcomes. We performed subgroup analysis for the main outcome based on lesion set, energy source, type of surgery, and propensity score matching. Results We included 12 observational studies (n = 3122). No difference was found for the primary outcome at 1 (RR 0.8; [95% CI]: 0.62-1.03; P = 0.08) and 2 years (RR 0.9; [95% CI]: 0.74-1.13; P = 0.4). The thoracotomy group had lower complications (RR 0.72; [95% CI]: 0.55-0.97; P = 0.016), 30-day mortality (OR 0.26; [95% CI]: 0.10-0.70; P = 0.007), hospital stay (MD −5.35; [95% CI]: −7.94 to 2.77; P < 0.001), and ICU stay (MD −2.21; [95% CI]: −3.02 to 1.40; P < 0.001). Cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamping time were significantly higher in the thoracotomy group. Conclusions This meta-analysis found that surgical ablation by a mini-thoracotomy might achieve similar rhythm control to a median sternotomy while possibly improving safety and promoting faster recovery. However, conclusions are limited by the observational nature of the evidence and randomized trials are warranted. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia worldwide and is associated with significant morbidity, increased risk of stroke, and all-cause mortality. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Abstract Objectives This investigation aimed to compare different minimally invasive techniques, namely, mini-sternotomy (MS), mini-thoracotomy (MT), and totally thoracoscopic (TT) approaches for the surgical treatment of aortic valve disease, emphasizing their respective benefits and limitations to guide clinical decision-making. Methods A systematic search was conducted in Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. Studies were appraised using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A frequentist network meta-analysis (NMA) with a random-effects model was employed to give reflective ranks and compare outcomes across techniques. Treatment ranking was based on p-scores, with MS as the reference. Higher p-scores indicate greater certainty of superiority over competing interventions. The primary outcome was mortality. Results Twenty-five observational studies (n = 34 573 patients) were included. Mortality did not differ between techniques (p-score: MS [0.85] ∼ MT [0.34] ∼ TT [0.31]). TT had longer cardiopulmonary bypass (mean difference [MD]: 41.04 [95% CI, 10.98-71.10]) and cross-clamp times (MD: 30.31 [95% CI, 5.81-54.80]) but offered the shortest intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (p-score: TT [0.98] > MT [0.51] > MS [0.01]; MD: −16.00 [95% CI, −26.62 to −5.38]), reduced hospital stay (MD: −2.07 [95% CI, −3.77 to −0.37]), and fewer complications, including neurological events (odds ratio: 1.79 [95% CI, 1.03-3.13]), blood loss (MD: 208.85 mL [95% CI, 102.29-315.40]) compared to MS. MT showed similar outcomes to MS, except for longer operative times (MD: 29.84 [95% CI, 8.35-51.32]) and shorter ICU stays (MD: −5.88 [95% CI, −11.10 to −0.67]). Conclusions TT may offer advantages such as shorter hospital stays, reduced neurological complications, and less bleeding as compared to MS, although it is associated with longer operative times. However, as all included studies were observational, the findings should be interpreted with caution, and further NMA including only randomized trials is warranted. Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is the mainstay of the surgical treatment of aortic valve disease. Graphical abstract

Abstract OBJECTIVES Mediastinitis is an infection affecting the mediastinum, often caused by cardiovascular or thoracic surgery procedures. Management entails antibiotic therapy, surgical debridement, drainage of infected sites and immediate or delayed closure. Negative pressure wound therapy is useful in cases of delayed sternal closure. Several approaches for mediastinal drainage have been proposed, but there is no consensus on the thoracic intervention approach. METHODS A single-centre, retrospective analysis from the UK analysed data from 19 patients who underwent surgical management for mediastinitis between September 2015 and April 2023. Our primary aim was to describe the outcomes from our series where we predominantly employed an open surgical approach. RESULTS The mean age of our cohort was 49 ± 17.12 years old; the mean performance status (PS ECOG) was 2 ± 0.77. Two people were known smokers (10.53%), while five were non-smokers (26.31%). Fifteen patients underwent an open operation (78.85%), with rest undergoing a minimally invasive approach. The majority of procedures were undertaken from the right-hand side. The overall intensive care unit admission rate was 68.42% (n = 13) with an in-hospital complication rate of 5.26% (n = 1). This was a respiratory arrest secondary to mucous plugging. There were no in-hospital deaths, and median follow-up was 41 months (22–50). Overall survival at 3 years was 85%. CONCLUSIONS Open thoracotomy remains an important surgical strategy in the management of complex mediastinitis, but further validation is required through larger, prospective studies. Mediastinitis is a rare but life-threatening condition that may result from deep sternal wound infection (DSWI), oesophageal perforation or descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) [1]. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Background Oesophageal cancer is increasing in incidence worldwide. Minimally invasive techniques have been used to perform oesophagectomy, but concerns regarding these techniques remain. Since its description by Cuschieri in 1992, the use of minimally invasive oesophagectomy (MIO) has increased, but still only used in a minority of resections in the UK in 2009. In particular, there has been reluctance to use minimally invasive (thoracoscopic and laparoscopic) techniques in more advanced cancers for fears regarding the adequacy of the oncological resection. In order to identify any factors that could affect survival, we undertook a retrospective analysis on all patients who underwent surgery in our department over an 8-year period. Methods A retrospective data analysis was undertaken on all patients who underwent oesophagectomy in a tertiary upper gastrointestinal surgery unit, from 2005 to 2012 inclusive. Data were collected from the departmental database and case note review, with follow-up and survival data to time of data collection. The survival data were analysed using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models to determine which variables affected survival. Variables examined included age, tumour position, tumour stage (T0, 1, 2 vs T3, 4), nodal stage (N0 vs N1), tumour histology, completeness of resection (R0 vs R1), use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and operative technique (thoracoscopic/laparoscopic (MIO) vs laparoscopic abdomen/open chest (Lap assisted) vs Open. Results 334 patients underwent oesophagectomy between 2005 and 2012. Male to female ratio was 3.75:1, with a mean age of 64 years (range 36–87). There were 83 open oesophagectomies, 187 laparoscopically assisted oesophagectomies and 64 minimally invasive oesophagectomies. Following univariate regression analysis the following factors were found to be correlated to survival: use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Hazard Ratio 2.889, 95 % CI 1.737–4.806), T stage 3 or 4 (3.749, 2.475–5.72), Node positive (5.225, 3.561–7.665), R1 resection (2.182, 1.425–3.341), type of operation (MIO compared to open oesophagectomy) (0.293, 0.158–0.541). There was no significant relationship between age, tumour position or tumour histology and length of survival. When these factors were entered into a multivariate model, the independently significant factors correlated to survival were found to be T stage 3 or 4 (HR 1.969, 1.248–3.105), Node positive (3.833, 2.548–5.766) and type of operation (MIO compared to open) (0.5186, 0.277–0.972). Conclusion Multiple small studies have found reduced pulmonary complication rates and duration of hospital stay when using a minimally invasive approach compared to open. Concerns in the literature over long-term outcomes, however, have led to limited utilisation of this method, especially in advanced disease. The data from this large study show significantly better survival following operations performed using minimally invasive techniques compared to open, however, we have not adjusted for some known or unknown confounding factors. International and national RCTs, however, will provide more information in due course.

IntroductionEmergency resuscitative thoracotomy (ERT) is a resource-intensive procedure that can deplete a combat surgical team’s supply and divert attention from casualties with more survivable injuries. An understanding of survival after ERT in the combat trauma population will inform surgical decision-making.MethodsWe requested all encounters from 2007 to 2023 from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR). We analysed any documented thoracotomy in the emergency department and excluded any case for which it was not possible to distinguish ERT from operating room thoracotomy. The primary outcome was 24-hour mortality.ResultsThere were 48 301 casualties within the original dataset. Of those, 154 (0.3%) received ERT, with 114 non-survivors and 40 survivors at 24 hours. There were 26 (17%) survivors at 30 days. The majority were performed in role 3. The US military made up the largest proportion among the non-survivors and survivors. Explosives predominated in both groups (61% and 65%). Median Composite Injury Severity Scores were lower among the non-survivors (19 vs 33). Non-survivors had a lower proportion of serious head injuries (13% vs 40%) and thorax injuries (32% vs 58%). Median RBC consumption was lower among non-survivors (10 units vs 19 units), as was plasma (6 vs 16) and platelets (0 vs 3). The most frequent interventions and surgical procedures were exploratory thoracotomy (n=140), chest thoracostomy (n=137), open cardiac massage (n=131) and closed cardiac massage (n=121).ConclusionERT in this group of combat casualties resulted in 26% survival at 24 hours. Although this proportion is higher than that reported in civilian data, more rigorous prospective studies would need to be conducted or improvement in the DoDTR data capture methods would need to be implemented to determine the utility of ERT in combat populations.