Efficacy of bioabsorbable staple line reinforcement in reducing air leakage following pulmonary resection: a cadaveric study.

Air leakage remains a common complication following pulmonary resection and is frequently associated with the pulmonary staple line. Although bioabsorbable staple line reinforcement (SLR) has been introduced to reduce air leakage, standardized experimental data evaluating its immediate mechanical effect are limited. Thiel-preserved cadaveric lungs retain tissue flexibility and may provide a reproducible and controlled platform for comparative assessment of stapling techniques. This cadaveric study evaluated the immediate mechanical resistance of pulmonary staple lines using Thiel-preserved human lungs. Partial pulmonary resections were performed using a powered linear stapler with or without bioabsorbable SLR. Airway pressure was gradually increased during ventilation, and the pressure at which air leakage from the staple line was first observed during a water-sealing test was recorded. Because of the limited number of specimens, results were evaluated descriptively without formal statistical analysis. Staple lines created with bioabsorbable reinforcement tended to tolerate higher airway pressures before air leakage occurred compared with non-reinforced staple lines. In several specimens, reinforcement delayed air leakage, whereas in others, the difference was minimal. No device-related technical failures were observed. In a Thiel-preserved cadaveric lung model, bioabsorbable SLR showed a tendency to increase the airway pressure tolerance prior to air leakage. Given the small sample size and the absence of biological processes inherent to living tissue, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. Nevertheless, this study supports the methodological utility of Thiel-preserved cadaveric lungs as a standardized and reproducible platform for comparative evaluation of pulmonary stapling techniques.