Use Of Mechanical Sutures In Pulmonary Surgery

Abstract

In a ten years period, Six hundred and twenty patients under surgical treatment for different kinds of pulmonary diseases. Pulmonary tuberculosis was the indication for 395 thoracotomies and 115 patients were operated for lung cancer. Ninetyone thoracotomies were performed chronic non-specific diseases of the lung and in 19 cases indications for pulmonary resection were other diseases. In all cases various types of mechanical staplers were used for individual suturing of the culmonary vessels and bronchus. Operations performed included 207 pneumonectomies, 341 lob and bilobectomies, 49 segementectomics and 23 combined resections. Chronometry was done in seventyone thoracotomitromies with average time spent for each operation being one hour and fortyseven minutes only. Out of this time, only four minutes and thirtyfour seconds (4.2%) were spent for individual suturing of the pulmonary vessels and bronchus. During the operation insufficiency of mechanical sutures were seen in few cases and dealt with accordingly. Arterial and bronchial stump insufficiency were noted in the percent cases each, whereas venous suture insufficiency was seen only in 1.3 percent cases. Five huudred and fortysix patients (88.1%) had a benign course, whereas fortythree patients (6.9%) experienced postoperative complications. But only in sixteen cases (2.6%) could the mechanical sutures be related theoretically for those complications. There were thirtyone hospital deaths (5%). Our results show that the use of mechanical sutures is safe, considerably reduces the time for pulmonary resection and is associated with relatively very few intraoperative and postoperative complications.