J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 125(4): 317-324, 2024

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Feature topic

SAFETY MANAGEMENT FOR VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPIC SURGERY AND ROBOT-ASSISTED THORACOSCOPIC SURGERY BY THE JAPANESE ASSOCIATION FOR CHEST SURGERY

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) is widely performed, and robot-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (RATS) has been increasingly used in clinical practice. However, massive bleeding owing to technical failure remains a concern. The Japanese Association for Chest Surgery started a certification system for safe thoracoscopic techniques in 2021, and the third session has recently been completed. Uniformly evaluating safe surgical techniques is challenging due to varying experiences and approaches of individual surgeons. Furthermore, per policy, the performance of a surgeon should be evaluated under the assumption that he or she has renewed his or her general thoracic surgery certification and can safely perform a lobectomy with residents. The first-pass rate is 70.1％ and increases every year. We have been preparing to examine RATS using this system since the fourth session. In the future, we aim to establish a review system using deep learning which certifies general thoracic surgeons who can safely perform surgeries. By encouraging individual discussions on surgical safety, we hope that this system will enhance the safety of general thoracic surgeries in Japan.

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