Efficacy and safety of TachoSil® versus standard treatment of air leakage after pulmonary lobectomy.

Objectives: Alveolar air leakage remains a serious problem in lung surgery, being associated with increased postoperative morbidity, prolonged hospital stay and greater health-care costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sealing efficacy and safety of the surgical patch, TachoSil®, in lung surgery.

Methods: Patients undergoing elective pulmonary lobectomy who had grade 1 or 2 air leakage (evaluated by the water submersion test) after primary stapling and limited suturing were randomised at 12 European centres to open-label treatment with TachoSil® or standard surgical treatment (resuturing, stapling or no further treatment at the surgeons' discretion).

Split lung transplantation with intraoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.

Pulmonary bipartitioning or split lung transplantation, which was first described in 1997, presently represents the most efficient use of donor lungs. With this technique, a left donor lung can be separated into an upper and lower lobe and used for bilateral transplantation in a smaller recipient. The right donor lung remains for use as a single lung graft in another patient.

Heterotopic tracheal transplantation with omentum wrapping in the abdominal position preserves functional and structural integrity of a human tracheal allograft.

Objectives: Transplantation of a human trachea has been reported only twice in the literature with limited documentation of the functional and structural properties of the allograft.

Patients And Methods: A 57-year-old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with low segment tracheal stenosis was accepted for lung transplantation and 2-stage tracheal allotransplantation. Standard bilateral sequential lung transplantation was performed with the transfer of the donor trachea into the recipient's abdomen, which was wrapped in the greater omentum and sutured into the abdominal wall, similar to a stoma.

Efficacy and safety of topical application of human fibrinogen/thrombin-coated collagen patch (TachoComb) for treatment of air leakage after standard lobectomy.

Objectives: Persisting air leakage after pulmonary resection remains a significant problem. The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence of air leakage after standard lobectomy and test the efficacy and safety of TachoComb (TC).

Methods: A total of 189 patients undergoing lobectomy were enrolled in a multi-centre, open, randomised, and prospective study to test the efficacy and safety of TachoComb (TC) for air leakage treatment.

Pleurovenous shunting in the treatment of nonmalignant pleural effusion.

Background: The goals of treatment of chronic nonmalignant pleural effusion are relief of dyspnea and improved quality of life. Treatment options include needle thoracentesis, tube thoracostomy chemical pleurodesis, and pleurectomy. Pleurovenous shunting (PVS) represents an alternative, minimally invasive method.