Continuous absorbable suture technique for tracheobronchial sleeve resections

From January 2000, we changed from the traditional interrupted suture technique for tracheobronchial sleeve resections to a continuous suture technique with absorbable suture. This retrospective study reviewed our experience in the first 50 consecutive patients operated on between January 2000 and August 2006. The median age was 61 years (range, 30 to 80 years). There were 35 men and 15 women, 49 had malignant disease, and 1 had a benign tumor. Two patients had tracheal resection without removal of lung parenchyma; all others underwent sleeve lobectomy. There was 1 (2%) operative death due to pneumonia, and 8 (16%) postoperative complications including atrial fibrillation, lobar atelectasis, prolonged parenchymal air leak, empyema, paralytic ileus, and chylothorax. There was no anastomotic dehiscence or bronchopleural fistula. None of the patients developed stricture at the anastomotic site when followed up for a mean duration of 18.6 months. The continuous suture technique is easy to perform and the results are comparable with those of the interrupted suture technique. The use of absorbable suture appears to reduce the incidence of stricture at the anastomotic site.