Simple smoke ventilation method for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery

Fogging of the thoracoscopic lens affects a surgeon’s ability to maintain a clear operating field. In uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, the thoracoscopic lens tends to fog when the surgeon does not hold a suction instrument. Thus, a suction instrument needs to be held by the surgeon’s nondominant hand to remove surgical smoke, mist, and moisture. Here, we describe a simple, easy and cost-effective surgical smoke ventilation technique for uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery using a suction catheter to solve the problem. We present this technique and comment on its advantages, including decreased cost and improved surgical visualization.