Is Acrylate Co-monomer (Glubran-2) Useful in the Prevention of Prolonged Air Leaks After Pulmonary Lobectomy?

Many synthetic materials are being used in order to reduce the frequency of prolonged air leak (PAL) in thoracic surgical practice. This study presents our experience with the topical application of acrylate co-monomer (Glubran-2) as a synthetic tissue adhesive in an attempt to decrease troublesome postoperative air leaks in patients undergoing resection for non-small cell lung carcinoma. Of the 112 patients who had undergone resection for lung carcinoma, 69 patients having lobectomy or bilobectomy were included in this study. The application group (group A) consisted of 33 patients where a synthetic tissue adhesive (Glubran-2) was used and compared with the control group (group C, n = 36) retrospectively. There was no difference between the groups regarding demographic details and operative variables. Both groups were compared in view to PAL, chest tube duration, in-hospital stay and hospital costs. There was no significant difference between group A (n = 11, 33 %) and group C (n = 6, 17 %) for the development of PAL (P = 0.11). Hospital stay was 16.1 ± 6.7 days in group A and 15.3 ± 5.8 days in group C (P = 0.66). The surgical cost was significantly higher in group A (€806 ± 127) than the group C (€624 ± 94) (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the groups regarding overall hospital costs (P = 0.41). In this study, the use of Glubran-2 following lung resection for non-small cell lung carcinoma did not decrease the incidence of PAL. Neither did it have a favorable effect concerning in-hospital stay nor did it decrease overall hospital costs while increasing surgical costs as expected.