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VATS Lobectomy 2
November 30, 2008 |
Video assisted thorascopic surgery is what cardiothoracic surgeon
Dr. Paul DiGorgi
uses to remove small sections of a cancerous or diseased lung. The minimally invasive
technology has been around for several years but has just recently been adapted
to lung surgery.
He
says, “I enjoy it because the patients do so much better. The difference
is really impressive. I mean you can see from the moment they wake up from surgery they're
breathing better and are in much less pain and they’re out of the hospital a lot
faster and they just do much better. Complication rates, especially pneumonia are
half what they used to be because patients can take a deep breath now and they’re
not splinting with a lot of pain.”
The reduced pain and recovery time also means that more people will be able to qualify
for lung surgery. “The biggest groups that have benefited from this are the younger,
healthier people who want to get back to work quickly and the older, sicker patients
who wouldn’t have been a surgical candidate in the first place.”
Dr. DiGiorgi says with the VATS lobectomy many patients are able to by-pass the
intensive care unit and about 90% of them are able to get back to work within two
weeks of the procedure.
In many cases surgical re-sectioning or a lobectomy is often the best chance at
a cure for patients with the early stages of lung cancer. |
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