Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30069367›Full record

ArticleJournal of thoracic disease2018

Pathophysiological mechanism of post-lobectomy air leaks.

Aaron R Casha, Luca Bertolaccini, Liberato Camilleri, Alexander Manche, Marilyn Gauci, Gor Melikyan, Ruben Gatt, Krzysztof Dudek, Piergiorgio Solli, Joseph N Grima

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of thoracic disease, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Endoluminal approaches to postoperative air leaks.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Aaron R CashaDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
Luca BertolacciniDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Maggiore Teaching Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Liberato CamilleriDepartment of Statistics and Operational Research, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Malta.
Alexander MancheDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
Marilyn GauciDepartment of Anaesthesia, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
Gor MelikyanDepartment of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
Ruben GattMetamaterials Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Malta.
Krzysztof DudekMetamaterials Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Malta.
Piergiorgio SolliDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Maggiore Teaching Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
Joseph N GrimaMetamaterials Unit, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, Malta.
Mater Dei Hospital · MTUniversity of Malta · MTOspedale Maggiore Carlo Alberto Pizzardi · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAir leak post-lobectomy continues to remain a significant clinical problem, with upper lobectomy associated with higher air leak rates. This paper investigated the pathophysiological role of pleural stress in the development of post-lobectomy air leak.

methodsPreoperative characteristics and postoperative data from 367 consecutive video assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy resections from one centre were collected prospectively between January 2014 and March 2017. Computer modelling of a lung model using finite element analysis (FEA) was used to calculate pleural stress in differing areas of the lung.

resultsAir leak following upper lobectomy was significantly higher than after middle or lower lobectomy (6.3% versus 2.5%, P=0.044), resulting in a significant six-day increase in mean hospital stay, P=0.004. The computer simulation model of the lung showed that an apical bullet shape was subject to eightyfold higher stress than the base of the lung model.

conclusionsAfter upper lobectomy, the bullet shape of the apex of the exposed lower lobe was associated with high pleural stress, and a reduction in mechanical support by the chest wall to the visceral pleura due to initial post-op lack of chest wall confluence. It is suggested that such higher stress in the lower lobe apex explains the higher parenchymal air leak post-upper lobectomy. The pleural stress model also accounts for the higher incidence of right-sided prolonged air leak post-resection.

Indexed as

air leakbiomechanicslobectomyPleural forces

Identifiers

PMID30069367
PMCPMC6051860
OpenAlexW2806273465

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.