Predictive model for intraoperative decision-making in video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy: optimizing chest drain placement for high-risk patients

For years, it has been the common and widely accepted practice in thoracic surgery to place apical and basal drains after a lobectomy to completely drain the pleural cavity. With the development of thoracoscopic technology, it became apparent that the use of a single chest tube provided the same clinical results. However, sometimes tension pneumothorax occurs with the need for additional pleural drainage. The aim of this study was to develop a prognostic model to identify high risk patients intraoperatively and to insert additional pleural drainage to prevent the development of pneumothorax after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy.