Table 3 Key exclusion criteria

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Systematic lymphadenectomy

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Expected difficult airway

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Emergent operation

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Severe coagulation disorders (partial thromboplastin time, PTT > 40 s; international normalised ratio, INR > 1.5)

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Previous ipsilateral radiation or surgery

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COPD with severe impairment of pulmonary function: diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon dioxide (DLCO)/alveolar volume (AV) < 30%, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV₁) < 30%

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Pregnancy and lactation