Purpose: To investigate the influence of Sapylin used during the operation on immune function and chest drainage in patients with thoracic malignancies in early postoperative period.
Patients and methods: Seventy-one patients with thoracic malignancies including lung cancer and esophageal carcinoma who underwent tumor resection were divided into two groups, 36 cases of observation group and 35 cases of control group. In observation group, Sapylin were locally laid in operation field during the operation. The control group was not given Sapylin. Drainage volume of chest cavity after operation, and the levels of CD4, CD8, CD4/CD8 and natural killer (NK) cell were recorded.
Results: The level of CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ and NK cell in observation group were higher than that in control group (P<0.05) wholly in early postoperative period. Drainage volume of chest cavity in observation group was less than that in control group postoperatively, 1160.2±437.2 ml vs. 1363.3±472.9 ml, but the change in two groups had no significance statistically (P=0.064).
Conclusions: The local application of Sapylin during operation can improve immunity of patients with thoracic malignancies significantly and decrease the drainage volume of chest cavity probably in early postoperative period. So it is worthy of popularizing in clinical practice.