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Establishing a Multidisciplinary Team-Based Pleural Service in the Era of Financial Austerity: The Role of the Thoracic Surgeon.

Emmanouil Ioannis KapetanakisTatiana SidiropoulouIoannis P TomosChristos F KampolisThomas RaptakisPeriklis I Tomos
Published in: Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) (2023)
Medical thoracoscopy/pleuroscopy has become, after bronchoscopy, the second most commonly utilized endoscopic procedure in interventional pulmonology. Due to their common origin, medical thoracoscopy/pleuroscopy and video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) are quite similar procedures technically. In contrast to the prevailing attitude that it should predominantly be performed by interventional pulmonologists, we believe that, like all hybrid-in-nature techniques, it should be implemented as part of a combined specialist care service/team. Herewith, we describe our attempt to establish a multidisciplinary pleural disease program during a difficult economic period for our country, comprising thoracic surgeons, pulmonologists and anesthesiologists, all of whom brought in their experience, expertise and resources to establish and develop the service resulting in a hybridization of the technique, with, as reported, quite favorable results.
Keyphrases
  • quality improvement
  • healthcare
  • thoracic surgery
  • palliative care
  • mental health
  • spinal cord
  • magnetic resonance
  • chronic pain
  • minimally invasive
  • robot assisted
  • ultrasound guided
  • single molecule
  • young adults