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National Wealth and the Global Spread of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery: Insights From the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database

Thursday, January 29, 2026

Submitted by

EACTS Staff

Source

Source Name: European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

Source URL: https://academic.oup.com/ejcts/article-abstract/67/12/ezaf384/8315000?redirected…

Author(s)

Luca Bertolaccini, Oriana Ciani, Luis Manuel Pericchi Marrero, Jean Marc Baste, Stefano Passani, Zalan Santo

This retrospective study reviewed 148,628 lung operations from 2001 to 2023 to examine how national gross domestic product (GDP) per capita influences minimally invasive techniques. Thoracotomy rates declined significantly, while robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) adoption increased. VATS adoption was negatively associated with GDP, whereas RATS showed no correlation. Significant country-level variability was found, with faster adoption in France and Italy compared to Turkey. Results suggest economic factors drive initial VATS adoption, but systemic factors (reimbursement, procurement) govern advanced technology uptake, highlighting the need for coordinated infrastructure and policy improvements in which the authors believe scientific societies could play a significant role.