May awake video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with thoracic epidural anesthesia use routinely for minimaly invasive thoracic surgery procedures in the future?

Background: In the last years thoracic surgery developed in greater extent with equipments and techniques in one lung ventilation. Still general anesthesia in one lung ventilation approved as gold standard. In thoracic surgery most performed surgeries are plerural decortication and lung biopsy. Avoidance of intubation in Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS) procedures gains us some advantages in postoperative period; a better respiratory parameters, survival and morbidity mortality rates, reduced hospitalization time and costs, reduced early stress hormone and immune response. Methods: In this study, we reported our experience of 24 consecutive patients undergoing VATS with Thoracic Epidural Anesthesia (TEA) between December 2015 through July 2016 to evaluate the feasibility, safety and indication of this innovative technique whether it will be a gold standart in thoracic surgeries or not in the future.Results: Operation procedures included wedge resection in 11 (46%) patients (eight of them for pneumothorax, three of them for diagnosis), in 10 (42%) patients pleural biopsy (eight of them used talc pleurodesis), in two (8%) patients air leak control with fibrin glue and in one (4%) patient bilateral thoracal sympathectomy for hyperhidrosis. We used T4-5 TEA space for 17 (72%) of patients, while we used T4-6 TEA space for 7 (28%) of patients. TEA block reached the desired level after the mean 26.4±4.3 minutes (range 21-34 min). There was no occurrence of hypotension and bradycardia during and after TEA. One (4%) patient required conversion to general anesthesia and tracheal intubation because of significant diaphragmatic contractions and hyperpne. Conversion to thoracotomy was not needed in any patient.Conclusions: We conclude that nVATS procedure with aid of TEA is feasibile and safety with minimal adverse events. The procedure can have such advantages as early mobilization, opening of early oral intake, early discharge, patient satisfaction, low pain level. Nevertheless, there is a need for randomized controlled trials involving wider case series on the subject.