Why is micro invasive ambulatory lung cancer surgery right for me or those I love? The micro invasive ambulatory lung cancer surgery is just the  superior lung cancer surgery procedure to other available options. The originator of "Micro Invasive" Ambulatory Lung Cancer Surgery, Dr. Eduardo Tovar, is encouraging patients and qualified surgeons to use this leading edge lung cancer surgery approach which provides patients:

• Potential to breath comfortably by significantly reducing pain.
• Same day walking reducing the chance of clotting and pneumonia.
• Better cosmetic result.
• Expectation to be home the same day.
• Decreased expense to all parties.

Traditionally, access to the chest cavity is obtained by using a large incision that starts in the back, goes around the shoulder blade and ends in the anterior portion of the chest.  Significant amounts of pain and frequently chronic pain for months and even years are the result of this large standard incision. Most patients who undergo lung cancer surgery or chest operations with the traditional approach need to stay in the hospital between 10 days to 2 weeks. Serious and even fatal complications result from the standard incisions even when it is an "open and close procedure" where no operation is actually performed. Dr. Tovar uses a smaller incision placed under the arm, avoids cutting major muscles.

Dr. Tovar's micro invasion incision is almost 5 times smaller than traditional lung cancer surgery approach. Dr. Tovar uses a special clamp for a slight spreading of the ribs, a live camera and special tissue removal techniques to allow spot, lobe or lung removal as required by the patient's situation. Patients are then able to get up and walk around the same day as surgery with full arm rotation. This is also an important distinction to the traditional approach where arm rotation is hampered by the pain of this large incision that cuts  through large muscles. Obviously, the lung cancer surgery patient will also experience a better cosmetic result with the much reduced scared area using the micro invasion lung cancer surgery approach.

Other new minimally invasive methods have been created that allow us to perform the same chest operations previously performed through larger incisions with less tissue injury. All other minimally invasive methods use multiple port incisions (at least three) in addition to a large one to remove the specimen. We us a single port and call it a "micro invasion".  The less invasive the operation is the shorter the hospital stay should be. Most centers that perform minimally invasive surgery of the lung or chest can use these methods in selected patients keeping lung cancer surgery patients in the hospital no less than four days on average. Since we have minimized the injury during lung cancer surgery and other chest operations to the extent that most of our patients meet strict discharge on the same day as the operation. We perform the micro invasive lung cancer surgery method in all of our patients.

Ambulatory lung cancer surgery is the type of operation that inflicts minimal impact to the patient allowing them to resume normal or near normal activity. 
Prostration, bed rest and a sedentary life style are the usual causes of grave even lethal complications following surgery. Also, walking the same day can reduce the chance of clotting and pneumonia. Unfortunately most major operations result in severe pain that force patients to remain hospitalized. We are the only center world wide that performs surgery of the lung and chest cavity as a same day surgery minimizing this risk..