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Is a vessel-sealing system useful for resection of anterior mediastinal mass?
Mario Santini1, Alfonso Fiorelli1, Giovanni Vicidomini1
1Department of Cardio-Thoracic Disease, Second University of Naples, Thoracic Surgery Unit, Naples, Italy.
Objective:
To valuate if the LigaSure (Valleylab, Boulder, Colorado, United States) vessel-sealing system could reduce operative time, intraoperative blood loss, drainage duration, and hospital stay in patients with anterior mediastinal mass undergoing open resection.
Methods:
Forty consecutive patients having resection of anterior mediastinal mass were randomized into two groups according to whether LigaSure was used (n = 20) or not (n = 20). Tumor size, operative time, intraoperative blood loss, chest tube output and duration, length of hospital stay, morbidity, and mortality were prospectively recorded, then intergroup differences were statistically analyzed.
Results:
Both groups were well matched for age, tumor size, pathologic diagnosis, and incidence of complications. LigaSure significantly reduced operative duration (p < 0.0001) compared with the traditional technique but without leading to any significant reduction in intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.2), chest tube output (p = 0.2) and duration (p = 0.2), and length of hospital stay (p = 0.5).
Conclusions:
The reduced operative time using LigaSure translates into less exposure to general anesthesia, which is particularly important for patients with myasthenia and potentially reducing cost.
