A survey of medical thoracoscopy practices in India

BACKGROUND: Medical thoracoscopy (MT) is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic procedure for a variety of pleural conditions. There is a lack of literature on prevalent practices of MT in India. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to study the prevalent practices of MT in India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A structured online survey on various aspects of thoracoscopy was designed on the “Google Forms” web software. RESULTS: One hundred and eight responses were received, of which 100 respondents performed MT. The majority were pulmonologists, and most had started performing thoracoscopy within the last 5 years. Rigid thoracoscope was the most commonly used instrument. The common indications of procedure included undiagnosed pleural effusion, talc pleurodesis, and adhesiolysis. Local anesthesia with conscious sedation was the preferred anesthetic modality. Midazolam, along with fentanyl, was the most widely used sedation combination. 2% lignocaine was the most commonly used concentration for local infiltrative anesthesia. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents reported having encountered any complication of thoracoscopy. Significant reported complications included empyema, incision/port-site infection, re-expansion pulmonary edema, and procedure-related mortality. CONCLUSION: MT is a rapidly evolving interventional pulmonology procedure in India. There is, however, a significant variation in practice and variable adherence to available international guidelines on thoracoscopy. Formal training programs within India and national guidelines for pleuroscopy considering the local resources are required to improve the safety and yield of this useful modality.