A Meta-Analysis Assessing the Benefits of Concomitant Pleural Tent Procedure After Upper Lobectomy

A meta-analysis comparing outcomes of upper lobectomies with or without pleural tenting was performed. Five trials comprising 396 patients were selected. There was significantly reduced duration of hospital stay, chest drain use, and air leak in the pleural tenting group compared with the group without the pleural tent. There was also a significant reduction in number of patients with prolonged air leak more than 7 days in pleural tenting group. No other difference was noted in other outcomes such as total drainage, operative time, or hospital costs. In patients at high-risk of air leak, we advocate concomitant use of the pleural tent after upper lobectomies.