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Original Articles: General Thoracic

Surgical Management of Invasive Pulmonary Fungal Infection in Hematology Patients

^a Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
^b Department of Haematology, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
^c Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

Accepted for publication February 24, 2009.

^_* Address correspondence to Dr Antippa, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria, 3052, Australia (Email: phillip.antippa{at}mh.org.au).

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze our institutional results with pulmonary resection in neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies and suspected invasive pulmonary fungal infections.

Methods: We performed a retrospective medical record review of 25 immunocompromised patients with hematologic malignancies who underwent pulmonary resection between 2000 and 2007. We analyzed preoperative diagnostic technique, degree of pulmonary resection, and postoperative morbidity and mortality to determine whether surgery is a viable treatment option in this subset of patients.

Results: Twenty-three of 25 patients had a minithoracotomy compared with 2 who had video-assisted thorascopic surgery resection only. Thirteen had wedge resections, 9 had lobectomies, and 3 had segmentectomies. Early surgical morbidity was 2 of 25, involving 1 pneumothorax and 1 empyema. In-hospital mortality was 2, with 1 death primarily related to surgery. Median survival was 342 days, and survival was significantly better in patients with only one lesion. No patient experienced late recurrence of invasive pulmonary fungal infection. Resected pulmonary tissue also provided the best chance for a proven diagnosis in 19 of 25 (76%).

Conclusions: This study confirms that pulmonary resection in high-risk immunocompromised patients with suspected invasive fungal infection can be carried out with excellent operative morbidity and mortality.