Table 2.
Surgical outcomes and postoperative measurements
| Variable | Overall (n = 485) | ALE-absent (n = 276) | ALE-present (n = 209) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water sealing testa | < 0.001d | |||
| Air bubble (–) | 284 (59%) | 187 (68%) | 97 (46%) | |
| Air bubble (+) | 201 (41%) | 89 (32%) | 112 (54%) | |
| PGA sheet useda | 286 (59%) | 155 (56%) | 131 (63%) | 0.15d |
| Fibrin glue useda | 119 (25%) | 45 (16%) | 74 (35%) | < 0.001d |
| Fibrin and PGA sheet useda | 110 (23%) | 41 (15%) | 69 (33%) | < 0.001d |
| Operation time [min]c | 192 (68) | 182 (64) | 205 (73) | < 0.001f |
| Bleeding [mL]b | 53 (72) | 43 (55) | 65 (88) | 0.001e |
| Chest tube removal [POD]c | 1 (1) | 1 (0) | 2 (2) | < 0.001f |
| PAL presenta | 13 (2.7%) | 0 (0%) | 13 (6.2%) | < 0.001d |
| Pleurodesis requireda | 33 (6.8%) | 0 (0%) | 33 (16%) | < 0.001d |
| Re-intervention requireda | 2 (0.4%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (1.0%) | 0.19d |
| Discharge [POD]c | 4 (2) | 4 (2) | 5 (2) | < 0.001f |
an (%). bMean (SD). cMedian (IQR). dFisher’s exact test. eWelch Two Sample t-test. fMann-Whitney U test. PGA polyglycolic acid, POD postoperative days, PAL prolonged air leak (> 5th POD); Re-intervention, reoperation or chest tube re-insertion required to manage pleural fistula