The Year in Thoracic Anesthesia: Selected Highlights from 2016

THIS SPECIAL ARTICLE is the first in an annual series for the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. The authors thank the editor-in-chief, Dr. Kaplan; the associate editor-in-chief, Dr. Augoustides; and the editorial board for the opportunity to expand this series, the research highlights of the year that specifically pertained to the specialty of thoracic anesthesia. The major themes selected for 2016 are outlined in this introduction, and each highlight is reviewed in detail in the main body of the article. The literature highlights in the specialty for 2016 begin with the advancement of the indications for thoracic surgery and surgical techniques and early results of nonintubated video-assisted thoracic surgery (NIVATS), followed by a discussion of regional techniques in thoracic surgery, including serratus anterior blocks (SABs) and methods to improve the success of established regional blocks. The third section reviews the role of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in thoracic surgery, particularly in patients undergoing pulmonary transplantation, pulmonary artery embolectomy, and repair of critical airway stenosis or disruption. The fourth section details the 2015 European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension and how they differ from the 2009 guidelines, and the last section is an update on robotic esophagectomy and how it compares with both standard open esophagectomy and minimally invasive esophagectomy.