Factors predicting perioperative outcomes in patients with myasthenia gravis or thymic neoplasms undergoing thymectomy by video-assisted thoracoscopic approach

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors which predict the perioperative outcomes after video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) or thymic neoplasms PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data of consecutive patients who had undergone VATS thymectomy in our institution from August 2016 to April 2018 were collected retrospectively from a prospectively maintained database followed by prospective recruitment of patients who underwent VATS thymectomy from April 2018 to February 2020. RESULTS: A total of 31 patients were included. Females were more common (51.6%), and 29 patients (93.5%) had MG. The most common indication for thymectomy was the presence of both MG and thymoma (51.6%). Most MG patients had moderate disease (55.2%) or severe (24.1%) disease preoperatively. Mean operative time and blood loss were 196.9 ± 63.5 min and 122.5 ± 115.3 ml, respectively. Mean hospital stay was 7.9 ± 6.7 days. The rate of major and minor complications was 16.18% and 35.4%, respectively. Multivariate linear regression analysis established that MG symptoms >12 months, prolonged invasive ventilation (intubation ≥24 h), and complications were associated significantly with a prolonged hospital stay. Adjusting for outliers, pre-operative disease severity (MG Foundation of America class), and intubation ≥24 h were the only factors that had a significant impact on perioperative outcomes. CONCLUSION: Pre-operative disease severity and post-operative invasive ventilation are strong determinants of perioperative outcomes. Pre-operative optimisation and early extubation protocols can further reduce morbidity in patients undergoing thymectomy by the VATS approach.