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Updated: Jul 7, 2026
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Thoracoscopic Extended Right Middle Plus Lower Sleeve Lobectomy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Published on: February 27, 2026
Combined heart surgery and lung tumor resection
Christos Prokakis1, Efstratios Koletsis, Efstratios Apostolakis
1Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Patras University School of Medicine, Patras, Greece.
Summary
Combined heart and lung surgery offers a safe, effective approach for treating complex conditions, reducing costs and hospital stays. This one-step procedure shows no increased mortality or morbidity, yielding excellent patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Thoracic Oncology
- Cardiac Surgery
Background:
- Combined heart and lung surgery is controversial due to concerns about cardiopulmonary bypass effects on malignancy and bleeding risks.
- A single intervention aims to treat both cardiac and pulmonary issues, potentially reducing hospitalization costs and improving patient outcomes.
Observation:
- A retrospective study analyzed five male patients undergoing one-step combined heart and lung surgery between 2004 and 2006.
- Procedures included aortic valve replacement with lobectomy, pulmonary wedge resection with coronary bypass, and ascending aorta replacement with pulmonary resection.
- Pulmonary resection was consistently performed before cardiopulmonary bypass initiation.
Findings:
- No perioperative deaths occurred; three patients had uneventful recoveries.
- Postoperative complications included atrial fibrillation in one patient and temporary neurological dysfunction in another.
- No increase in postoperative bleeding or hospital stay was observed compared to separate procedures.
Implications:
- Combined heart and lung resection can be performed safely, without elevated mortality or morbidity.
- Synchronous treatment eliminates the need for a second surgical intervention, offering economic benefits and excellent results.
- Patients with pulmonary malignancy showed no signs of disease recurrence during follow-up, suggesting oncological safety.
