OBJECTIVE: To compare leakage pressures of stapled partial and total lung lobectomies using thoracoabdominal (TA) staplers in canine cadaveric specimens. STUDY DESIGN: Ex vivo experimental study. SAMPLE POPULATION: A total of 29 lung lobes from six canine cadavers. METHODS: Lower respiratory tracts were harvested from canine cadavers >
15 kg. Lung lobes were randomized to groups: total lobectomy with a TA30-V3 (TL-30), partial lobectomy with two TA30-V3 cartridges in a wedge configuration (PL-30), and partial lobectomy with a TA60-3.5 mm (PL-60). The leakage pressure (pressure at which air bubbles were first seen from submerged tissue) was assessed, and groups were compared. RESULTS: All nine PL-30 and all nine PL-60 sites leaked at median pressures of 10 cm H CONCLUSION: In canine cadaveric lung, total lobectomies with a TA30-V3 were less likely to leak at physiological pressures than partial lobectomies with either TA30-V3 or TA60-3.5 mm staplers. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest a greater potential risk for air leakage at physiologically relevant pressures following partial as compared to total lobectomies with the TA stapling devices and techniques used commonly in veterinary surgery.