J Korean Soc Traumatol.  2017 Sep;30(3):87-90. 10.20408/jti.2017.30.3.87.

Experiences of Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery in Trauma

• Noh D
• Lee CK
• Hwang JJ
• Cho HM

• KMID: 2394561
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.20408/jti.2017.30.3.87

Abstract

PURPOSE
Nowadays, Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) is widely used for its benefits, low post-operative pain, excellent anesthetic result and complete visualization of intrathoracic organs. Despite of these advantages, VATS has not yet been widely used in trauma patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usefulness of VATS in the chest trauma area.
METHODS
From January 2016 to December 2016, 203 patients underwent surgical treatment for chest trauma. Their medical records were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Eleven patients underwent thoracic surgery by VATS. Six patients were unstable vital sign in the emergency room. Two patients underwent emergency surgery and the rest patients underwent planned surgery. The common surgeries were VATS hematoma evacuation and wedge resection. There was no conversion to thoracotomy. The surgery proceeded without any problems for all patients.
CONCLUSIONS
VATS would be an effective diagnostic and therapeutic modality in chest trauma patients. It can be applied to retained hemothorax, persistent pneumothorax, suspicious diaphragm injury and even coagulation of bleeder.

Keyword

Thoracic injuries; Video-assisted thoracic surgery

MeSH Terms

Diaphragm
Emergencies
Emergency Service, Hospital
Hematoma
Hemothorax
Humans
Medical Records
Pneumothorax
Retrospective Studies
Thoracic Injuries
Thoracic Surgery
Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted*
Thoracotomy
Thorax
Vital Signs