Surgical Sealant for the Prevention of Prolonged Air Leak After Lung Resection: Meta-Analysis

Background. We performed a systematic and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing a surgical sealant with buttressed staple lines using standard methods. The aim of our meta-analysis was to determine the effectiveness and safety of different techniques to reduce the proportion of patients with prolonged air leakage after pulmonary resection. Methods. We searched the Medline, Embase, Science Direct, Food and Drug Administration, Cochrane controlled trials register, and clinical trial databases for publications between January 1995 and May 2009 that included terms related to prolonged air leak after lung resection. We included randomized controlled trials comparing glue or patch or buttressed staple line with suture or staple in patients undergoing lung resection (wedge resection or lobectomy). The prespecified primary outcome of our meta-analysis was prolonged air leak more than 7 days. Secondary outcomes were the occurrence of adverse effects. Results. Thirteen trials were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the trials had allocated 1,335 patients to glue or patch (1,064 patients) or buttress (271 patients) for the prevention of prolonged air leak after lung resection. The type of buttress used to reinforce the staple line was bovine pericardial strips (271 patients). In the control group of all trials for air-leakage management, single or continuous running sutures or staples were used according to the routine of the center. The use of glue or a patch or buttressing compared with control groups (1,335 patients) decreased prolonged air leak more than 7 days. Indeed, the pooled effect size odds ratio was 0.55 (95% confidence interval: 0.386 to 0.79). An I-2 of 0% indicated low between-trial heterogeneity. The funnel-plot asymmetry coefficient was significantly different from zero (asymmetry coefficient -1.23 (95% confidence interval: -2.38 to -0.086; p < 0.04), indicating the presence of publication bias. Neither glue nor a patch nor buttressing influenced the occurrence of postoperative complications such as atelectasis, hemothorax, pneumonia, pneumothorax, and mortality. Eight trials (1,020 patients) showed that, compared with control groups, the use of glue or a patch or buttressing decreased postoperative arrhythmia, which yielded a pooled odds ratio of 0.44 (95% confidence interval: 0.275 to 0.72). Conclusions. The use of surgical sealants and buttressing decreased the risk of prolonged air leakage and postoperative arrhythmia after pulmonary resection. However, given the possibility of publication bias, the conclusions should be interpreted with caution.