Pleural tenting during upper lobectomy decreases chest tube time and total hospitalization days.

OBJECTIVE

A prolonged air leak after an upper lobectomy is a major determinant of morbidity and hospital stay. Creation of a pleural tent after upper lobectomy was used to investigate whether obliterating the usual postoperative intrapleural apical space with the parietal pleura would help shorten chest tube time.

METHODS

From August, 1994, through January, 1997, 48 consecutive patients undergoing an isolated upper lobectomy for a neoplasm were reviewed. Twenty-eight patients had creation of a pleural tent and 20 patients did not. Demographic and clinical profiles of both groups were not significantly different. Chest tubes were removed when there was no air leak for 48 hours and chest tube drainage was less than 75 ml per 8 hours.

RESULTS

The tented patients had significantly shorter mean air leak (tented 1.6 +/- 0.3 days vs nontented 3.9 +/- 1.2 days, p = 0.04), mean chest tube total drainage (tented 1619.5 +/- 95.5 ml vs nontented 2476.3 +/- 346.4 ml, p = 0.009), mean chest tube duration (tented 4.0 +/- 0.2 days vs nontented 6.6 +/- 1.0 days, p = 0.004), mean total hospitalization time (tented 6.4 +/- 0.4 days vs nontented 8.6 +/- 1.0 days, p = 0.02). No operative deaths occurred. Morbidity was not significantly different between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Creation of a pleural tent at the time of upper lobectomy appears to significantly reduce chest tube time and shorten hospitalization. (2) No morbidity or mortality was associated with this simple, quick procedure. (3) Surgeons should consider creation of a pleural tent at the time of upper lobectomy.