Heat production during pulmonary artery sealing with energy vessel-sealing devices in a swine model.

Objectives: Energy vessel-sealing devices are being increasingly utilized to seal pulmonary artery (PA) branches during lobectomy. Heat from these devices can potentially injure surrounding tissues. We evaluated heat production from devices in a live animal model.

Pulmonary Artery Sealing With an Ultrasonic Energy Device in Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery Lobectomy: An Animal Survival Study.

Background: Pulmonary artery (PA) sealing in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy is typically accomplished using vascular endostaplers. Endostaplers may be associated with iatrogenic PA branch injury, especially in short, small PA branches. We evaluated PA branch sealing with the HARMONIC ACE +7 (ACE) shears (Ethicon, Cincinnati, OH) in VATS lobectomy in a canine survival model.

Pulmonary Artery Sealing Using the HARMONIC ACE+ Shears for Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery Lobectomy.

Background: The standard technique for pulmonary arterial (PA) branch sealing in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy consists of vascular endostaplers. We evaluated the immediate efficacy of an ultrasonic energy vessel-sealing device for sealing PA branches and compared it with the gold standard (endostapler) in an ex vivo model.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study.

Transtracheal thoracic natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) in a swine model.

Background: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has the potential to be the final frontier in minimally invasive procedures in thoracic surgery. In order for thoracic pleural NOTES to 1 day be ready for clinical trials, each step of the procedure must be independently evaluated for both safety and efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trachea as a portal of entry for thoracic NOTES.

Endosonographic mediastinal lymph node staging of lung cancer.

Background: It is unclear whether endoscopic mediastinal lymph node (LN) staging techniques are equivalent to surgical mediastinal staging (SMS) techniques in patients with potentially operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: A total of 166 patients with confirmed or suspected NSCLC who required SMS based on current guidelines were enrolled in this prospective controlled trial comparing endosonographic mediastinal LN staging with SMS. Each patient served as his or her own control.