Table 4. Period to period comparisons of the short-term outcomes.
| Variables | Period 1 (n=25) | Period 2 (n=25) | Period 3 (n=25) | Period 4 (n=25) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration (thoracic procedure) | 115.1±26.4 | 88.4±16.0 | 83.4±27.8 | 87.0±18.3 | <0.001 |
| Estimated blood loss | 204.0±67.6 | 236.0±70.0 | 252.0±77.0 | 231.5±81.1 | 0.137 |
| Number of yield lymph nodes | |||||
| Total | 13.5±7.1 | 13.0±8.6 | 23.0±14.0 | 21.0±7.0 | <0.001 |
| Mediastinum | 7.8±5.2 | 7.6±3.0 | 12.7±3.8 | 15.5±9.6 | <0.001 |
| Along RLN | 2.5±1.9 | 2.9±1.9 | 5.3±3.7 | 5.1±3.8 | 0.001 |
| Vocal cord palsy | 4 (16.0%) | 5 (20.0%) | 4 (16.0%) | 3 (12.0%) | 0.859 |
| Anastomotic leakage | 5 (20.0%) | 4 (16.0%) | 3 (12.0%) | 3 (12.0%) | 0.901 |
| Postoperative hospital stay | 21.0±13.0 | 20.2±15.7 | 13.6±8.1 | 11.6±3.3 | 0.005 |
RLN, recurrent laryngeal nerve.