Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Non-Intubated Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery
Published on: May 26, 2023
Video-guided tube thoracostomy with use of an electrical nonfiberoptic endoscope
Chih-Hao Chen1, Ho Chang2, Shih-Yi Lee3
1Graduate Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei City, Taiwan.
Purpose:
Tube thoracostomy is a common and generally safe procedure. However, potential hazards can occur during placement of the chest tube. Inasmuch as unexpected injuries may arise from tube thoracostomy, we propose a novel video-guided method.
Description:
We used an independent complementary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor with a processing chip to obtain a front view image of the chest cavity. The device is connected to an aluminum shaft with four small light-emitting diode crystals in the tip, and a detachable small monitor with a battery inside. The apparatus is small and can be used to direct vision-guided tools in tube thoracostomy.
Evaluation:
We performed video-guided tube thoracostomy in 6 patients with pleural adhesions. All patients experienced good tolerance to the procedure and had no immediate adverse events. The thoracostomies were performed by a single surgeon with good acceptability, and each procedure was completed in less than 10 minutes.
Conclusions:
In some cases of pleural adhesion, the video-guided thoracostomy may be a safer alternative to non-image guided tube thoracostomy.
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