Lung Surgery

Lung surgery types

Doctors use da Vinci surgical systems to perform three kinds of lung surgery.

How doctors perform lung surgery^2,3

There are three ways doctors can perform lung surgery. One is traditional open surgery. The other two are minimally invasive surgeries. All require general anesthesia so that patients are asleep and don’t feel pain during the operation. Complications after lung surgery can include infection, bleeding, abnormal heart rhythm, persistent air leaking from the lungs, and pain.

Open chest surgery (thoracotomy)^2-4

Doctors must make an incision (cut) that can be less than three inches to more than eight inches long. Because the rib cage protects the lungs, doctors may also need to remove a rib or separate ribs. This allows doctors to look directly at the lung area they’ll be operating on and use handheld tools to perform the surgery. Open chest operations can take between two and six hours. Patients may stay in the hospital for five to seven days. Nerve damage during open surgery can result in a condition called post-thoracotomy pain syndrome. The syndrome can cause pain that persists for months following surgery.

Minimally invasive lung surgery^4-6

Minimally invasive approaches allow surgeons to avoid open surgery’s long incisions. Surgeons also don’t have to spread ribs. Instead, they insert tiny lighted cameras and instruments through small incisions. Minimally invasive lung surgeries typically result in less pain, less blood loss, shorter recovery times, and smaller scars compared to open lung surgery. But as with any surgery, complications are possible. Patients may stay in the hospital overnight or longer depending on the complexity of the case.

Surgeons can use two methods to perform minimally invasive lung surgery:

• Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS): Surgeons make two to four incisions up to 1.25 inches long.⁴ They insert a small lighted camera (thoracoscope) and surgical instruments through the incisions. Surgeons operate using straight instruments that are long enough to reach the lungs. During VATS, surgeons stand next to the patient. They operate while watching the camera’s images on a video screen.
• Robotic-assisted thoracic surgery: Surgeons using da Vinci surgical systems perform lung surgery through a few incisions about the width of your fingertip.⁴ The surgeon inserts a tiny 3D, high-definition camera into one incision. The other incisions are used to insert tiny wristed instruments that move like a human hand. Instead of standing next to the patient, the surgeon sits at a console in the operating room. The surgeon guides the instruments from the console to perform the surgery.

While minimally invasive lung surgery offers some advantages, it may not be the right approach for every patient or procedure. If your doctor has recommended lung surgery for your condition, ask about the options available. The questions below may help with that conversation.