From August 1988 to August 1991 40 automatic staplers(four TA 30 Premium and 36 TA 55 Premium) were used to close the bronchial stump in 38 patients.
There were 8 pneumonectomies, 5 bilobectomies, 23 lobectomies, 1 lobectomy and segmentectomy, and 1 segmentectomy due to various pulmonary diseases. Among 40 bronchial stumps, 15 stumps were covered with the pleural flaps for reinforcing the stump and remained 25 stumps left uncovered. The patients of the 2 groups were selected randomly regardless of disease entities.
The duration of follow-up was from 1 month to 38 month-average 16 months, and there were no bronchopleural fistulas in all cases during the follow-up period. Especially in the uncovered bronchial stumps group, 3 preoperative sputum AFB (+) patients and 2 patients of stage IIIa lung cancer underwent pneumonectomy with ipsilateral radical lymph node dissection were included.
So, surgical stapling is the safe method and is recommended in closing the bronchial stump in various pulmonary resections.
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