"Awake Video-Assisted Surgery Option For ‘Inoperable’ Lungs" - Ingrid Hein
Awake video-assisted thoracic surgery can be used successfully in patients with poor lung function who are not good candidates for surgery because of the risks associated with endotracheal intubation and general anesthesia, new research shows. This presentation of a single surgeon's work suggests that the awake approach is "feasible and safe,” said Charles Powell, MD, system chief of the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System and chief executive officer of the Mount Sinai-National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute. The approach provides an option for patients with early-stage lung cancer and compromised lung function who could not otherwise undergo surgery. It would be interesting to see how it compares, over the short and long term, with stereotactic body radiation therapy, "which has a longer track record," he pointed out.
- Charles Powell, MD, System Chief, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, Chief Executive Officer, Mount Sinai – National Jewish Health Respiratory Institute