Ethical aspects of a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery practice

Thoracic surgery is a field encompassing many diverse operative techniques ranging from open surgeries involving thoracotomies and sternotomies to less invasive operations such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), endoscopy, and bronchoscopy. The popularity and acceptance of VATS has been increasing over time. Ethical considerations must be used to navigate patient misconceptions of VATS surgery, creating an appropriate informed consent process, determining appropriate patients for VATS, training future thoracic surgeons in VATS, and advancing thoracic surgery innovation. Thoracic surgeons are the gateway to determine what operation and what technique is appropriate to offer to each patient. This requires strict adherence to ethical standards as well as self-regulation.