| dc.description.abstract | Background:
Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is gaining popularity as a
technique for performing lobectomy in lung cancer. Those patients undergoing VATS
have shown to have lesser pain, shorter hospital stay, lesser blood loss and better
pulmonary function postoperatively than those patients that have undergone
thoracotomy. We have not been able to find any study that has compared these surgery
methods in relation to changes in oxygen uptake and physical activity level in patients
undergoing lung cancer surgery. The aim of the study was therefore to compare
pulmonary function, cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and physical activity level
between VATS and thoracotomy among lung cancer patients.
Subjects and Methods:
37 patients (male =13) with non-small lung cancer underwent either VATS
(n=10) or open thoracotomy. Pulmonary function and VO2max was measured before and
four to six weeks after surgery. In addition, physical activity was measured about six
weeks after surgery with Actigraf for seven consecutive days. Mann-Whitney U test
was used to examine differences in lung function and VO2max between VATS and
thoracotomy. P values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results:
Postoperative had VATS patients significantly lower reduction in forced vital
capacity, ventilator capacity and VO2max, respectively 11 % (p=0.04), 16 % (p=0.006)
and 15 % (p=0.008). Moreover, the reduction value in FEV1 was on the significance
limit (14%, p=0.055). There was no difference in change in diffusion capacity between
the groups (27% VATS vs thoracotomy 26 %). VATS patients showed 13 % higher
activity levels measured as steps per day and correspondingly higher intensity expressed
as counts per minute, although not significant (p=0.448). However, there were large
individual differences in activity level in both groups. | nb_NO |
