Coagulation Profile in Patients Undergoing Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS) for Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is a serious and very frequent disease. For those 25% of the patients who will undergo surgery, there are two different methods of operation: either open surgery (thoracotomy) or Video Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS). The latter method is increasing in use. Patients are often prescribed heparin pre- postoperatively, but it is unclear whether this prophylactic treatment is necessary, and it has never been thoroughly investigated. When patients receive heparin there is an increased risk of bleeding. Furthermore, it is unclear what changes occurs in the coagulation system pre, per- and postoperatively in patients undergoing surgery for lung-cancer, and hereby it is unclear whether these patients should have some sort of medical prophylactic treatment. By using new analysis methods in terms of Thromboelastometry, Thrombin generation and thrombocyte function analysis, hereby the total coagulation profile can be characterized and hereby estimate the risk of thrombosis and bleeding. Thereby better be able to give the right treatment for these patients.