Thoracic Surgery Instruments

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is a type of surgery for diagnosing and treating a variety of conditions involving the chest area (thorax). It uses a special video camera called a thoracoscope. It is a type of minimally invasive surgery. That means it uses smaller cuts (incisions) than traditional open surgery. One common reason to do VATS is to remove part of a lung because of cancer. You have 2 lungs: a right lung and a left lung. These lungs connect to your mouth through a series of tubes. Through these tubes, the lungs bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide from the body. Oxygen is needed for all functions of your body. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that your body needs to get rid of. Most people can get by with having part of a lung removed, if needed. Usually, the remaining lung tissue can provide enough oxygen and remove enough carbon dioxide. During VATS, your surgeon makes several small cuts on the chest wall. The provider puts a special camera and other small tools through these cuts. He or she might use these tools to remove part of the lung, drain fluid from the lung, or do a procedure on the heart or other region. You may recover more quickly after VATS than with the traditional open approach. Healthcare providers can use VATS to do many procedures that used to need traditional open surgery.

Many people who have VATS do very well. But there are some possible complications. Some of these are: Air leak Partial collapsed lung (atelectasis) Abnormal heart rhythms Excess bleeding Pneumonia Collection of thick pus in the chest cavity (empyema) Wound infection Blood clot. This can lead to pulmonary embolism or stroke. Shock Complications from anesthesia Your age, other medical conditions you have, and the reason for your VATS will help determine your risk for different complications. Before your surgery, ask your healthcare provider about your specific risks.

Ask your healthcare provider about what you need to do to get ready for your VATS. In general: You may need to stop taking certain medicine before the surgery, like blood thinners. Talk with your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines. If you smoke, you need to quit before your surgery. Ask your healthcare provider for resources to help you. Daily exercise is an important part of getting ready. Ask your healthcare provider what kind is best for you. You might need to do breathing exercises with a device called a spirometer. Avoid eating or drinking anything after midnight before your surgery. Your healthcare provider might need tests to see how well your lungs are working. He or she may also want to check your overall health before your surgery. These will depend somewhat on the reason for your VATS. Some of these might include: Chest X-ray to see the heart and lungs Chest CT scan to get more detailed pictures of the lungs Positron emission tomography to look for cancer tissue Electrocardiogram to check the heart rhythm Pulmonary function tests to see how well your lungs are working Blood tests to check overall health Any hair over the surgical area may be removed with clippers before the surgery.

Ask your healthcare provider about what to expect during your VATS. In general: You will probably get antibiotics to help prevent infection. You will be given anesthesia before the surgery starts. It will cause you to sleep deeply and painlessly during the operation. You won't remember it afterward. The operation will take several hours. Your surgeon makes several cuts over your chest wall. The surgeon puts a small video camera (thoracoscope) through one of these incisions. The surgeon puts other small instruments through other small incisions as needed to do the procedure. Your surgeon does the procedure. For example, he or she may remove part of a lung. If you need to have part of your lung removed because of cancer, your surgeon might take out some lymph nodes as well. These can help show how advanced a cancer might be. Once the procedure has been completed, the camera and other instruments will be removed. Your surgeon will surgically close the chest incisions. A bandage will be applied.