Vivostat fibrin sealant significantly reduces post-surgical air leakage and drainage volumes following lobectomy in pulmonary surgery and is suitable for routine use in this procedure.

Intraoperative lobar torsion occurred in 4 of about 2000 patients subjected to thoracotomy. Two of the patients died. Early diagnosis and proper management are of great importance to the outcome. Temporary deflation of the diseased lung by using double lumen endobronchial tube is a potential risk. Early progressive lobar opacity without signs of atelectasis on conventional chest radiograph is indicative of this serious complication. Computerized tomography and bronchoscopy are of diagnostic value. Exploratory thoracotomy must be performed without delay. The injured parenchyma should be sacrificed unless the diagnosis is obtained very early. When the injured lobe or lung is rotated back into normal position the airways may be flooded with serosanguinous fluid which promptly has to be removed. If an attempt is made to save the lobe or the lung, tracheostomy for frequent suction of the airways is indicated in order to prevent "spill-over" and dangerous postoperative hypoxia.

The ability of the DigiVent to measure airflow and present mean values for 1, 3 and 6h proved to be very practical. The ability to save data and present curves for the entire course of treatment will be an advantage for research in the field of lung surgery.

In a prospective study, 144 patients undergoing thoracotomy were randomized to two groups: In 71 cases cryoanalgesia was applied intraoperatively to the intercostal nerves above and below the incision to relieve postoperative pain, and 73 (control group) received bupivacaine-adrenaline intercostal blockade at the end of the operation. The amount of administered narcotic and mild analgesics, the visual analogue pain scores, the need for further intercostal blockade and the number of postoperative bronchoscopies to clear retained secretion were significantly less in the cryoanalgesia group than in the controls. There were no late nerve complications after cryoanalgesia, which is recommended for routine use in thoracotomy.