Operative outcomes and middle-term survival of robotic-assisted lung resection for clinical stage IA lung cancer compared with video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

BACKGROUND

Despite limited published evidence, robotic-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) for anatomic lung resection in early-stage lung cancer continues growing. The aim of this study is to evaluate its safety and oncologic efficacy compared to video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).

METHODS

Single-centre retrospective study of all patients with resected clinical stage IA NSCLC who underwent RATS or VATS anatomic lung resection from June 2018 to January 2022. RATS and VATS cases were matched by propensity scoring (PSM) according to age, sex, histology, and type of resection. Short-term outcomes were compared, and the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).

RESULTS

321 patients (94 RATS and 227 VATS cases) were included. After PSM, 94 VATS and 94 RATS cases were compared. Demographics, pulmonary function, and comorbidity were similar in both groups. Overall postoperative morbidity was comparable for RATS and VATS cases (20.2% vs 25.5%, P = 0.385, respectively). Pathological nodal upstaging was similar in both groups (10.6% in RATS and 12.8% in VATS). During the 3.5-year follow-up period (median: 29 months; IQR: 18-39), recurrence rate was 6.4% in RATS group and 18.1% in the VATS group (P = 0.014). OS and DFS were similar in RATS and VATS groups (log rank P = 0.848 and P = 0.117, respectively).

CONCLUSION

RATS can be performed safely in patients with early-stage NSCLC. For clinical stage IA disease, robotic anatomic lung resection offers better oncologic outcomes in terms of recurrence, although there are no differences in OS and DFS compared with VATS.

General anesthesia vs. sedation in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI): retrospective study of the incidence of acute kidney injury

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Anesthetic techniques have been reported as having an impact on acute kidney injury (AKI) incidence in the postoperative period in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). This study aimed to assess whether exists an association between anesthetic approach in patients undergoing TAVI and the post-operative AKI incidence. The existence of association between anesthetic approach and mortality was also assessed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective, single-center, observational study was conducted at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, a Portuguese reference center. All patients undergoing TAVI from January 2015 to June 2018 were recruited and were divided into two groups for analysis: general anesthesia (GA) and sedation.

RESULTS

One hundred and seven patients underwent TAVI (GA: n = 24; sedation: n = 83) and the overall incidence of AKI was 14.02%. We found a higher incidence of intraoperative hypotension in the GA group (83.3 vs. 33.7%, p < 0.001). Regarding postoperative outcomes, there were no significant differences in AKI incidence (20.8 vs. 12.0%, p = 0.319) and mortality. A significant association was found between postoperative AKI and preexisting chronic kidney disease (CKD), preoperative heart failure functional class, intraoperative hypotension, longer length of stay in level II unit, longer hospital stay and worsening of previous CKD stage.

CONCLUSIONS

It was not possible to established association between the anesthetic approach for TAVI procedures and postoperative AKI and mortality. Our study reinforces the importance of preventing AKI incidence, considering its impact on the worsening of baseline CKD and on the length of stay, leading to higher hospitalization costs.