Effect of Artificial Pneumothorax on Operating Time for Video Assisted Thoracoscopic   (VATS) Thymectomy

Objective: To evaluate the effect of artificial pneumothorax on operating time for Video Assisted Thoracoscopic (VATS) Thymectomy Study Design: Quasi-experimental study Duration and Place of Study: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Combined Military Hospital Multan, Pakistan from Mar 2022 to Apr 2024. Methodology: One hundred and ten patients aged between 18-65 years with different Thymic pathologies were included in this study. Patients were divided randomly into two groups; Group-O and Group-P. Group-O was subjected to one lung ventilation without artificial pneumothorax whereas Group-P was subjected to one lung ventilation with artificial pneumothorax. The operating time was noted from the time of incision till closure of the skin. . There were 62(56.36%) females and 48 (43.64%) males. The overall mean operating time was 132.34±13.23 minutes. The mean operating time was significantly less 126.04±12.65 minutes in artificial pneumothorax than the group without artificial pneumothorax 138.41±10.78 minutes with very significant p-value (p<0.001). Conclusion: The use of artificial pneumothorax for VATS thymectomy is associated with a notable decrease in the operating time without an increase in postoperative complications.