Outcomes of Anatomic Lung Resection for Cancer Are Better When Performed by Cardiothoracic Surgeons

Anatomic lung resection (ALR) outcomes are superior for cardiothoracic surgeons (CTSs) by analysis of Medicare; National Inpatient Sample; South Carolina Office of Research and Statistics; and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases. Similar findings have been reported for all noncardiac thoracic procedures using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. Our aim was to further delineate outcome differences between CTSs and general surgeons (GSs) specifically for ALR.

A retrospective analysis of 15,574 nonemergent, nonpediatric ALR for lung cancer was conducted using the ACS-NSQIP 2013 to 2017 database. Included procedures were all ALR for lung cancer. Surgeons were classified as CTSs or GSs. Other specialties were excluded. Preoperative characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared by bivariate (chi-square test) and multivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was conducted by multiple logistic regression.

CTSs performed 14,172 (91.0%) of included procedures, and GSs performed 1402 (9.0%). A thoracoscopic approach was utilized at a similar rate (49.08% for CTSs vs 49.71% for GSs; P = .747). The extent of resection differed in a statistically, but not clinically, significant fashion. CTS patients had a higher rate of preoperative dyspnea (22.66% for CTSs vs 17.62% for GSs; P < .001). Procedures performed by CTSs had a lower risk-adjusted odds ratio of overall morbidity, pulmonary morbidity, sepsis or septic shock, bleeding requiring transfusion, and length of stay greater than the median (5 days).

ALR outcomes are superior for CTSs when compared with GSs. This is consistent with prior studies looking at this specific subset of patients and studies looking at a different subset of patients using the ACS-NSQIP database.