Brief Bronchial Suction for Lung Collapse During Uniportal VATS

Uniportal video-assisted lung surgery (UVATS) is increasingly being performed in many centers. Due to a short interval between the skin incision and pleural opening, a rapid and adequate surgical lung collapse is important for optimal surgical exposure and operative efficiency. Delayed or inadequate lung collapse may interfere with the operative field, increase the need for manual lung manipulation by surgeons and possibly a resultant increase in lung inflammation. Brief bronchial suction through a double lumen tube has been used to facilitate lung collapse although its effectiveness is questionable in three-port VATS. This study aims to investigate if a brief bronchial suction helps achieve a better and faster lung collapse in UVATS.

Study objectives This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether a brief suction through a tube in the non-ventilated lung leads to a better quality of lung collapse at one minute after the surgeon enters the chest. The study will compare the results between patients who receive a brief bronchial suction and those who do not.

Study design This is a randomized controlled trial conducted at a single university hospital in Thailand. Adult patients undergoing UVATS will be enrolled. A double-lumen endotracheal tube will be placed under general anesthesia as part of a standard anesthetic care. Patients will be randomly assigned to either receive a bronchial suction for one minute or no bronchial suction. The intervention group will undergo bronchial suction on two occasions: before pleural opening and immediately after pleural opening. Each suction period will last for 60 seconds.

The quality of lung collapse will be assessed by the surgical team at different time points during the surgery, including one minute after chest opening. Time to satisfactory lung collapse will also be evaluated.

Other perioperative data and outcome including requirement for additional steps in case of inadequate lung collapse, duration of one-lung ventilation, duration of surgery, incidence of intraoperative hypoxemia and postoperative pulmonary complications will also be collected.

To investigate the inflammatory response associated with suction and lung surgery, levels of interleukin-6 will be collected twice during and after surgery through an intravenous access placed under general anesthesia as part of a standard anesthetic care.

Potential significance The findings from this study may help to optimize anesthetic management for patients undergoing VATS, particularly UVATS, and provide evidence on the effectiveness of bronchial suction on the quality and speed of lung collapse. The information may contribute to evidence-based recommendations on intraoperative strategies to improve lung collapse during minimally invasive lung surgery.