Single centre experience on short bar technique for pectus excavatum

Although the Nuss procedure might seem like a routine treatment option for Pectus Excavatum, large scale data supporting the indications, safety, efficacy, and economics of the procedure are lacking. In this study, Dr. Hans Pilegaard published a review of 1,713 patients receiving a modified Nuss Procedure (a shorter bar) in Denmark between 2001 and 2016. This is an impressive number of cases and results from such studies are particularly important. Here, I will highlight a few important findings. Firstly, the average duration of the procedure was 36 minutes and the median postoperative hospital stay eventually reached 2 days, down from 6 days towards the start of the study in 2001. The proportion of patients older than 30 increased from 7.7% to 10% of cases. About 60% of patients reported cardiopulmonary symptoms. Complication rates were fairly low overall, with less than 1% bar flipping, a dramatic improvement over a 15% rate in the traditional Nuss procedure. Overall, Dr. Pilegaard shows that the short bar procedure is safe. These results highlight the importance of seeking a skilled and experienced surgeon. Further studies should elucidate whether or not the short bar technique is superior to the traditional Nuss technique.