Surgical Techniques and Outcome Analysis of Non-Intubated Uniportal VATS Sleeve Lobectomy: A Cohort Study

This single-center retrospective cohort study from Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital compared non-intubated (NI-UVATS, n=18) vs intubated uniportal VATS (I-UVATS, n=47) sleeve lobectomy. In carefully selected patients, NI-UVATS was feasible with zero conversions to intubation or thoracotomy. Operative time (118 minutes versus 107 minutes), blood loss (median 50 mL in both groups), lymph node yield, length of stay (approximately four days), and complication rates (approximately 27 percent) were comparable. R0 resection and two-year disease-free survival (approximately 84 percent vs approximately 82 percent) were equivalent. The authors advocate NI-UVATS as a legitimate enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS)-aligned option, though prospective multicenter validation is needed.