RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Prolonged pulmonary air leaks (PALs) are associated with increased morbidity and extended hospital stay. We sought to investigate the role of bronchoscopic placement of 1-way valves in treating this condition. METHODS: We queried a prospectively maintained database of patients with PAL lasting more than 7 days at a tertiary medical center. Main outcome measures included duration of chest tube placement and hospital stay before and after valve deployment. RESULTS: Sixteen patients were eligible to be enrolled from September 2012 through December 2014. One patient refused to give consent, and in 4 patients, the source of air leak could not be identified with bronchoscopic balloon occlusion. Eleven patients (9 men; mean age, 65 ± 15 years) underwent bronchoscopic valve deployment. Eight patients had postoperative PAL and 3 had a secondary spontaneous pneumothorax. The mean duration of air leak before valve deployment was 16 ± 12 days, and the mean number of implanted valves was 1.9 (median, 2). Mean duration of hospital stay before and after valve deployment was 18 and 9 days, respectively (P = .03). Patients who had more than a 50% decrease in air leak on digital monitoring had the thoracostomy tube removed within 3-6 days. There were no procedural complications related to deployment or removal of the valves. CONCLUSIONS: Bronchoscopic placement of 1-way valves is a safe procedure that could help manage patients with prolonged PAL. A prospective randomized trial with cost-efficiency analysis is necessary to better define the role of this bronchoscopic intervention and demonstrate its effect on air leak duration.
Asunto(s)
Broncoscopía , Neumonectomía , Neumotórax/terapia , Complicaciones Posoperatorias/terapia , Prótesis e Implantes , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Broncoscopía/instrumentación , Broncoscopía/métodos , Tubos Torácicos , Bases de Datos Factuales , Femenino , Estudios de Seguimiento , Humanos , Tiempo de Internación , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Neumotórax/etiología , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The impact of preoperative chemoradiation treatment (CRT) on outcomes after esophagectomy is still debated. The choice of surgical approach can also be influenced by this treatment modality, including the performance of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE), a technically demanding procedure. We sought to examine the outcomes of MIE after CRT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of consecutive MIEs performed at two institutions from June 2004 to January 2010. We analyzed the effect of CRT on perioperative results, including pulmonary complications, oncological outcomes, length of stay, and mortality. RESULTS: In total, 126 patients were eligible for the study. Six patients (4.8%) were converted from MIE to an open approach and were excluded from the analysis. Of the 120 patients, 98 were male (82%), mean age was 62 ± 13 years (range, 22-88 years), and 58 underwent CRT (48%) (Group 1). Comparing both groups, the incidence of pneumonia (9 versus 11), recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (3 versus 5), anastomotic leaks (4 versus 9), number of harvested lymph nodes (16 ± 9 versus 18 ± 9), and R0 resection margins (53/58 versus 61/62) was comparable (Group 1 versus Group 2, respectively; P=not significant). There was a trend toward more pleural effusions in Group 1 (10 versus 4, P=.09). Median length of stay was comparable between both groups (10 ± 11 versus 11 ± 7 days). There were three operative deaths, exclusively in Group 1 (P=.11). CONCLUSIONS: MIE can be safely performed after CRT in the management of esophageal cancer, with a low conversion rate. Outcomes seem comparable regardless of preoperative CRT.