Pulmonary artery sealing with ultrasonic energy in open lobectomy: A phase I clinical trial

Abstract

Pulmonary artery sealing for vessels with diameter ≤7 mm was safely achieved with an ultrasonic energy vessel-sealing device in open lobectomy. The use of ultrasonic energy vessel-sealing devices in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical lobectomy may have the advantage of making small, short, pulmonary artery branch sealing safer than with vascular endostaplers. Further studies are necessary before widespread application in lobectomy, including video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical lobectomy.

Prospective, multicenter, international phase 2 trial evaluating ultrasonic energy for pulmonary artery branch sealing in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy

“…9 Two phase 1 trials evaluated the safety of ultrasonic energy for PA sealing in open and VATS lobectomy. 10,11 These 2 trials allowed us to obtain safety data to support the current phase 2 multicenter trial.…”

The differences in histological changes among pulmonary vessels divided with an energy device

“…Open and endosurgical stapling devices have become the standard instruments for closing the large pulmonary vessels [6], whereas the small pulmonary vessels are manually ligated with a suture or divided using a vessel-sealing device (VSD). Advanced bipolar and ultrasound technologies are still being evaluated in various trials [7][8][9]. Safe division of the pulmonary vessels, especially the pulmonary artery (PA), during anatomical lung resection, is critically important.…”

Energized lung resections

“…studies have been published using pure ultrasonic energy for sealing pulmonary arteries, [2][3][4][5] this is the first largescale study using an advanced bipolar device. It is interesting also because both veins and arteries were evaluated.…”