For their Annals of the American Thoracic Society study, researchers analyzed the records of 27,451 patients who underwent lobectomy from 2009–13 to determine whether lobectomy performed by video–assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) resulted in lower mortality compared to open surgical lobectomy.

The study found that VATS did, in fact, reduce hospital mortality (1.3% vs 2.5%), as well as shorten hospital stays (6.21 vs 8.75 days) than open lobectomy.

Researchers write that during the study time period, nearly two–thirds of the lobectomies were open, but the data showed an increasing trend to use VATS.

“VATS is emerging as an important surgical approach to provide a safer alternative for lung lobectomy,” they write. “Further studies are needed to identify comorbidity factors that identify ideal candidates for VATS lobectomy.”