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The future of thoracic surgery: Why is video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) so revolutionary?
In recent years, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has rapidly become a hot topic in the field of thoracic surgery due to its unique technology and superior therapeutic effects. VATS offers unparalleled advantages over traditional thoracotomy, especially in the treatment of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer, allowing patients to undergo surgery with smaller incisions. Such technological advances are not only reflected in the execution of the surgery, but also promote the patient's recovery speed and quality of life.
Challenges of Traditional Surgery
Although traditional open-heart surgery has a history of decades and has been proven to be effective, post-operative pain management and recovery are often the most challenging parts for patients.
"Open chest surgery often requires cutting several major chest wall muscles and using rib expanders to provide surgical space."
This surgical approach not only causes patients to experience severe pain after surgery, but also requires a hospital stay of up to 7 to 10 days for effective pain management. According to the study, these patients tend to face longer recovery times and a higher risk of complications.
The Revolution of VATS
In contrast, the emergence of VATS is undoubtedly a revolution in thoracic surgery. Since its introduction in the 1990s, VATS technology has enabled surgeons to perform lobectomies without cutting major muscles or expanding the ribs. This not only significantly reduces the patient's postoperative pain, but also shortens the patient's hospital stay, allowing the patient to return to normal life faster.
"The length of hospital stay after VATS surgery is usually 3 to 5 days, which is half the length of time required for traditional open-chest surgery."
The endoscope used in VATS surgery can project the surgical field image onto a monitor in real time, making the surgical process more visual and providing necessary anatomical references. Although VATS uses smaller incisions, surgeons still need to have a thorough understanding of lung anatomy when performing the dissection to ensure precision in the surgery.
Indications and potential risks
Not all patients are suitable for VATS surgery. It is most suitable for patients with early lung cancer, especially those with tumors less than 3 cm in diameter and located at the edge of the lung. For tumors close to major blood vessels or airways, conventional thoracotomy may still be a more appropriate option because surgeons need more tactile information to ensure the integrity of the resection margins.
"Although VATS surgery has obvious advantages, its value is limited in special circumstances, such as when the tumor invades the chest wall and rib resection is required."
In addition, patients who have undergone chemotherapy or radiation therapy may have scarring that makes VATS surgery more difficult, so each patient's specific situation needs to be carefully evaluated.
Benefits and future prospects of VATS
Existing studies have shown that since VATS surgery, the postoperative recovery speed of many patients has been significantly improved, especially for elderly patients, who have better tolerance for this technology. In addition, patients who required postoperative chemotherapy were more likely to complete treatment after VATS surgery, which was mainly attributed to less postoperative trauma and improved lung function.
"Because of less chest wall trauma and stable lung function, VATS surgery induces significantly lower cytokine perturbations than traditional thoracotomy."
In terms of medical economics, due to the shortened hospital stay, the total cost of VATS surgery is usually lower than that of open chest surgery, which is good news for both patients and the medical system.
Conclusion
As technology continues to advance, the application scope of VATS surgery may be further expanded to include more types of lung diseases and complex surgeries. With the above changes, will future thoracic surgery completely replace traditional open-chest surgery?
