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ObjectiveThis study retrospectively evaluated the effect of OMT on length of stay (LOS) in hospitalized posterolateral postthoracotomy patients.MethodsInpatient medical records of patients who received posterolateral thoracotomies with lung resection between 1998 and 2011 were reviewed for demographic data, LOS, thoracotomy surgery data, consultation data excluding osteopathic manipulative medicine, discharge data, and osteopathic manipulative medicine consultation data.ResultsThirty-eight patients received posterolateral thoracotomies with lung resection; 23 patients received OMT and 15 did not. The mean (standard deviation) LOS was 11.0 (6.8) days (range, 5–29 days) for those who received OMT and 10.4 (5.5) days (range, 3–22 days) for those who did not (P = .90). Five patients developed postoperative ileus, and all had received OMT. Patients receiving 2 surgical procedures had a longer LOS than those receiving 1 surgical procedure (P = .002). Having a decortication performed during the thoracotomy increased LOS by a mean of 6.4 days (P = .005). Patients admitted directly to the intensive care unit were more likely to receive OMT than those who were not (P = .03).ConclusionWhile there was no difference in LOS, severity of illness was different between patients who received OMT and those who did not. Patients who developed postoperative ileus and most of those admitted directly to the intensive care unit received OMT, suggesting that severity of illness was greater for those who received OMT. Future studies should include a higher subject number in order to stratify for illness severity and also assess the effect of OMT on postoperative pain.

Immunostimulant effects have been demonstrated in mice following single injections of amphotericin B or amphotericin methyl ester. Augmentation of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses helps to explain the beneficial therapeutic effects observed in human and murine neoplasms after administration of amphotericin. Relevant to its immunological adjuvant properties, amphotericin produces striking reversible changes in murine thymus and splenic weights and in lymphoid organ histology. The chemical purity, nonimmunogenicity, and permissible toxicity of amphotericin recommend it as a model for the study of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of immunological adjuvants.