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Thanks to the experience gained through the improvement of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) technique, and the enhancement of surgical instruments and high-definition cameras, most pulmonary resections can now be performed by minimally invasive surgery. The future of the thoracic surgery should be associated with a combination of surgical and anaesthetic evolution and improvements to reduce the trauma to the patient. Traditionally, intubated general anaesthesia with one-lung ventilation was considered necessary for thoracoscopic major pulmonary resections. However, thanks to the advances in minimally invasive techniques, the non-intubated thoracoscopic approach has been adapted even for use with major lung resections. An adequate analgesia obtained from regional anaesthesia techniques allows VATS to be performed in sedated patients and the potential adverse effects related to general anaesthesia and selective ventilation can be avoided. The non-intubated procedures try to minimize the adverse effects of tracheal intubation and general anaesthesia, such as intubation-related airway trauma, ventilation-induced lung injury, residual neuromuscular blockade, and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Anaesthesiologists should be acquainted with the procedure to be performed. Furthermore, patients may also benefit from the efficient contraction of the dependent hemidiaphragm and preserved hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction during surgically induced pneumothorax in spontaneous ventilation. However, the surgical team must be aware of the potential problems and have the judgement to convert regional anaesthesia to intubated general anaesthesia in enforced circumstances. The non-intubated anaesthesia combined with the uniportal approach represents another step forward in the minimally invasive strategies of treatment, and can be reliably offered in the near future to an increasing number of patients. Therefore, educating and training programmes in VATS with non-intubated patients may be needed. Surgical techniques and various regional anaesthesia techniques as well as indications, contraindications, criteria to conversion of sedation to general anaesthesia in non-intubated patients are reviewed and discussed.

Locally advanced lung tumours often require complex surgical techniques to achieve an oncological and safe procedure. Sleeve resections when operating on endobronchial lesions or hilar tumours should be attempted whenever possible rather than performing a pneumonectomy. These procedures result in improved survival, better quality of life, a reduced loss of lung function and an improved operative mortality compared with pneumonectomy. Although the most common approach is an open thoracotomy, these complex surgical techniques can be performed in a thoracoscopic way with the skills and the experience gained from major video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures (VATS). However, despite the multiple advantages of VATS compared with thoracotomy, such as decreased postoperative pain and better recovery, this minimally invasive approach is still not widely adopted for advanced stages of lung cancer and complex resections. Concerns about performing an adequate oncological resection and safe reconstruction VATS are the main reasons for the low adoption of these minimally invasive approaches. Like other thoracoscopic techniques, VATS sleeve procedures also have a steep learning curve, and should therefore be performed either by or with skilled and experienced VATS surgeons to ensure safety and avoid complications. In this article, we describe the technique of thoracoscopic sleeve procedures through a single-incision (uniportal) approach for bronchial, bronchovascular, tracheal and carinal reconstruction, and review the literature reporting sleeve resections by VATS.

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BackgroundHost factors and complications have been associated with higher mortality in infective endocarditis (IE). We sought to develop and validate a model of clinical characteristics to predict 6‐month mortality in IE.Methods and ResultsUsing a large multinational prospective registry of definite IE (International Collaboration on Endocarditis [ICE]–Prospective Cohort Study [PCS], 2000–2006, n=4049), a model to predict 6‐month survival was developed by Cox proportional hazards modeling with inverse probability weighting for surgery treatment and was internally validated by the bootstrapping method. This model was externally validated in an independent prospective registry (ICE‐PLUS, 2008–2012, n=1197). The 6‐month mortality was 971 of 4049 (24.0%) in the ICE‐PCS cohort and 342 of 1197 (28.6%) in the ICE‐PLUS cohort. Surgery during the index hospitalization was performed in 48.1% and 54.0% of the cohorts, respectively. In the derivation model, variables related to host factors (age, dialysis), IE characteristics (prosthetic or nosocomial IE, causative organism, left‐sided valve vegetation), and IE complications (severe heart failure, stroke, paravalvular complication, and persistent bacteremia) were independently associated with 6‐month mortality, and surgery was associated with a lower risk of mortality (Harrell's C statistic 0.715). In the validation model, these variables had similar hazard ratios (Harrell's C statistic 0.682), with a similar, independent benefit of surgery (hazard ratio 0.74, 95% CI 0.62–0.89). A simplified risk model was developed by weight adjustment of these variables.ConclusionsSix‐month mortality after IE is ≈25% and is predicted by host factors, IE characteristics, and IE complications. Surgery during the index hospitalization is associated with lower mortality but is performed less frequently in the highest risk patients. A simplified risk model may be used to identify specific risk subgroups in IE.

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Video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) anatomic lobectomy for lung cancer was initially described in 1993. Since then, many thoracic surgery departments have progressively adopted this technique, although the approach description may vary greatly among them. Most of surgeons use three incisions but the lobectomy can be performed by only one port, especially when it is performed by surgeons experienced in double-port technique. Lower lobes are the easiest cases to perform. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report of a single-port upper lobectomy with no rib spreading.

Purpose: We performed a study to determine if a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based assay using isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with DNA probes targeting specific sites on chromosomes known to have abnormalities in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases could detect circulating genetically abnormal cells (CACs).Experimental Design: We evaluated 59 NSCLC cases with stage I through IV disease and 24 controls. PBMCs and matched tumors were hybridized with 2 two-color [3p22