Perioperative outcomes of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy in scope operation performed by a clinical engineer.

BACKGROUND

In Japan, clinical engineers (CEs) have been permitted to operate endoscopic video cameras in endoscopic surgery since October 2021. The current study aimed to evaluate the perioperative outcomes of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (UVATS) lobectomy in scope operation performed by a CE.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent lobectomy between January 2020 and December 2024 were retrospectively reviewed. The perioperative outcomes of UVATS lobectomy in scope operation conducted by surgeons [the doctor (DR) group] were compared with those of UVATS lobectomy in scope operation performed by CEs (the CE group). The perioperative outcomes between the DR and CE groups were compared using propensity-score matching.

RESULTS

In total, 71 and 77 patients in the CE and DR groups, respectively, underwent UVATS lobectomy. After propensity-score matching, the data of 46 patients from each of the two groups were retrieved. The two groups did not significantly differ in terms of surgical duration, intraoperative blood loss volume, rate of conversion to multiportal VATS lobectomy or thoracotomy, postoperative morbidity, drain placement duration, and length of postoperative hospital stay. None of the patients in the two groups died.

CONCLUSIONS

The perioperative outcomes of UVATS lobectomy in scope operation conducted by CEs were comparable to those of UVATS lobectomy in scope operation performed by surgeons.