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Open thoracotomy for pneumothorax
Achilleas Lazopoulos1, Nikolaos Barbetakis1, George Lazaridis1
11 Thoracic Surgery Department, Theagenio Cancer Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece ; 2 Department of Medical Oncology, Aristotle University School of Medicine, Thessaloniki, Greece ; 3 Oncology Department, "Interbalkan" European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece ; 4 Oncology Department, "BioMedicine" Private Clinic, Thessaloniki, Greece ; 5 Pulmonary-Oncology, "G. Papanikolaou" General Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece ; 6 Surgery Department (NHS), University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, Greece ; 7 Thoracic Surgery Department, "Saint Luke" Private Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Abstract:
A thoracotomy is an incision into the pleural space of the chest. It is performed by surgeons (or emergency physicians under certain circumstances) to gain access to the thoracic organs, most commonly the heart, the lungs, or the esophagus, or for access to the thoracic aorta or the anterior spine. This surgical procedure is a major surgical maneuver it is the first step in many thoracic surgeries including lobectomy or pneumonectomy for lung cancer and as such requires general anesthesia with endotracheal tube insertion and mechanical ventilation, rigid bronchoscope can be also used if necessary. Thoracotomies are thought to be one of the most difficult surgical incisions to deal with post-operatively, because they are extremely painful and the pain can prevent the patient from breathing effectively, leading to atelectasis or pneumonia. In the current review we will present the steps of this procedure.