ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026
Point of care ultrasound-detected postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction and its association with pulmonary complications after thoracic surgery: protocol for a prospective, observational study.
Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) significantly impact recovery after thoracic surgery. Postoperative diaphragmatic dysfunction (PDD) may be a key risk factor but remains under-recognized, particularly regarding comparative data between video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS). This study aims to investigate the association between PDD detected by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) and PPCs following minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Methods: This is a single-center, prospective observational study conducted at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. A total of 148 patients scheduled for elective pulmonary resection (VATS or RATS) will be enrolled. Diaphragmatic function will be assessed using POCUS at four time points: 1 day preoperatively (T0), 30 min post-extubation (T1), and on postoperative day 1 (T2) and 3 (T3). The primary measurements include diaphragmatic excursion (DE) and diaphragmatic thickening fraction (DTF). The primary endpoint is the incidence of PDD (defined as DE < 10 mm or negative) on postoperative day 1. Secondary endpoints include the incidence and severity of PPCs within 7 days postoperatively (defined by European Perioperative Clinical Outcome criteria), serial changes in DE and DTF, pain scores, and quality of recovery (QoR-15). Propensity score matching and multivariate regression will be used to adjust for confounders. Conclusion: This study will elucidate the relationship between POCUS-detected PDD and PPCs in patients undergoing VATS and RATS. The findings may support the integration of diaphragmatic ultrasound into perioperative risk stratification and guide targeted preventive strategies to improve postoperative outcomes. Trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2500103734.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.