Drainless, day-case lateral neck dissection with Artiss™ fibrin sealant: A prospective cohort study

Objective: Lateral neck dissection (LND) is performed for staging/treatment of head and neck lesions. This traditionally includes placement of a drain and inpatient admission. Drainless, day-case head and neck surgery is attractive due to cost-effectiveness and reduced length of stay, but evidence is lacking in LND. We aim to investigate Artiss™ as an alternative to drain placement, facilitating day-case LND. Methods: A prospective review was conducted of patients who underwent LND in a UK hospital over a 22-month period. Results: Thirty-nine patients were identified (27 Artiss™ only; 12 Artiss™ with a drain). Eight Artiss™ only patients were day-case. All drains were removed by post-operative day 2. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of complications between the two groups. Conclusion: This observational study demonstrates that for selected patients, Artiss™ could facilitate drainless, day-case LND. Further controlled studies with matched groups and larger numbers are required to validate this.