Use of Cardiopulmonary Bypass for Complex Robotic Left Upper Lobectomy After Prior Mantle Irradiation

We discuss the case of a 58-year-old woman with a history of mantle irradiation who presented later in life with a 3.7-cm left upper lobe squamous cell carcinoma. Because of the complexity of the case, all the necessary preoperative precautions were taken in case cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) became necessary. The patient underwent a completely robotic left upper lobectomy under peripheral CPB. Here we highlight the utility of CPB to enable minimally invasive robotic resections of large, high-risk tumors.