The feasibility of task shifting in thoracoscopic surgery is an important consideration when scope manipulation is performed by clinical engineers. This study evaluated the feasibility and surgical outcomes of thoracoscopic surgery for spontaneous pneumothorax with scope manipulation performed by clinical engineers. Patients with spontaneous pneumothorax who underwent thoracoscopic surgery between April 2023 and March 2026 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical engineer group included 38 patients, and the surgeon group included 37 patients.

There were no statistically significant differences in baseline patient characteristics between the groups. There were also no statistically significant differences in operative time, blood loss, postoperative drainage duration, postoperative hospital stay, complication rate, or recurrence-free survival. Operative time was 60.0 ± 22.9 vs 56.4 ±…