Resection of Bronchopulmonary Cancers Invading the Left Atrium - Benefit of Cardiopulmonary Bypass

AIMS: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) for extended lung resections involving great vessels and other mediastinal organs remains controversial, especially due to CPB-related haemorrhagic and immunological issues. Here, we will retrospectively analyse the results obtained with such procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 1994 and February 2001, four patients underwent surgery under CPB for lung carcinoma in our department. Three patients were male and one female; mean age was 58.8 +/- 6.3 years. The patients suffered from malignant pulmonary lesions involving the left atrium (T4 or stage IIIb) - two epidermoid carcinoma, one adenocarcinoma and one large-cell carcinoma. Procedures were performed under complete CPB with aortic cross-clamping in all but one patient who underwent hypothermic ventricular fibrillation. Mean CPB duration was 86.7 +/- 26.5 min. RESULTS: There were no hospital mortalities (D30). Mean duration for assisted ventilated support was 9.5 +/- 2.5 hours, 2.5 +/- 1 days for ICU stay and 14.3 +/- 1 days for hospital stay. Operation-related complications were rare. Two patients presented with transient postoperative atrial fibrillation. Only one patient had to undergo reoperation for compressive haemopericardium drainage at D23. The mean quantity of transfused packed red blood cell packs was 2.7 +/- 1.7. Two patients survived over three years after surgery and one patient is still alive at 72 months without any recurrent symptom. CONCLUSION: In some cases of T4 lung cancer considered inoperable, CPB permits extended lung resections offering significant hope for survival at an acceptable operative risk.