Esophagectomy

This study aims to determine whether postoperative hypoxia (arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂)\<80 mmHg) is an independent risk factor for anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy. The investigators conducted a retrospective analysis of cases from their center over the past five years, stratifying patients into Low Pa0₂ Group and Normal Pa0₂ Group based on postoperative oxygen levels and comparing the incidence of anastomotic leakage between the groups. The goal is to establish whether hypoxia is a causative risk factor and whether correcting it can reduce the risk of anastomotic leakage.

Background: Dumping syndrome is a common complication for patients who have undergone surgery for esophageal cancer. It occurs when food moves too quickly from the stomach (or the reconstructed gastric tube) into the small intestine. This rapid movement causes various symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, and sweating. Sometimes, it leads to "late dumping," where blood sugar levels drop significantly, causing tremors, cold sweats, and fatigue. Currently, there is no standardized tool to easily diagnose this condition after esophagectomy. Purpose of the Study: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) in diagnosing dumping syndrome. CGM is a small, wearable sensor that tracks glucose levels in real-time. The investigators aim to determine whether CGM can serve as a valuable tool for the early detection of dumping syndrome in patients who have undergone esophagectomy.

The primary goal of this study is to collect short-term and long-term health outcomes of a robotic transhiatal esophagectomy procedure. Clinical (or health) outcomes measure the effect of the procedure on your overall health status. During this procedure, the surgeon will remove all or part of your esophagus. We want to identify patients who will have this procedure. We will look at data elements before, during, and after your procedure to understand the impact of this surgery on your post-operative clinical outcomes.

To assess short and long term outcomes after minimally invasive esophagectomy compared to open esophagectomy. To compare both standard outcome measures as well as patient derived outcome measures, in particular, quality of life (QOL). To look at the applicability of this QOL instrument to this patient group.

The Mayo Clinic Conduit Report Card Questionnaires have been created in order to have a consistent evaluation tools for patients undergoing esophageal reconstruction or treatment or patients that are experiencing an upper digestive disease in order to standardize and validate outcome measures. Data will be used to establish the validation of the questionnaires/survey. Data will also lead to the establishment of "normal" or expected scores for patients undergoing each type of esophagectomy procedure and for upper digestive diseases. Data will contribute to creating treatment algorithms for symptom management for upper digestive diseases and for post-operative complications and symptoms as well as contribute to pre-operative education.

The goal of this pragmatic, registry-based, randomized clinical trial is to find out if using botulinum toxin (Botox) to help drain the stomach during an esophagectomy works as well as a pyloromyotomy in patients undergoing elective esophagectomy for benign or malignant esophageal disease. Both methods are intended to prevent problems with food emptying too slowly from the stomach (delayed gastric emptying), which can cause discomfort after surgery. The main question it aims to answer is: Is intrapyloric Botox injection as a drainage procedure during esophagectomy non-inferior in preventing symptoms of delayed gastric emptying at 6 months postoperatively compared to pyloromyotomy? Researchers will compare intrapyloric Botox injection to pyloromyotomy to see if Botox is non-inferior to pyloromyotomy in easing symptoms of delayed gastric emptying. Participants will: Be randomized to one of two treatment groups-either intrapyloric Botox injection or pyloromyotomy-during their esophagectomy. Complete surveys assessing digestive symptoms at standard postoperative follow-up intervals (3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively). Undergo a standard gastric emptying study at 6 months after surgery.

Esophageal cancer ranks as the seventh leading cause of cancer globally, with 604,100 new cases, and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. When applicable, surgery is the gold standard treatment for resectable oesophageal-esophagogastric junction cancer. The surgical technique requires both an abdominal approach and a transthoracic approach to resect the esophagus, perform the anastomosis, and allow optimal lymph node removal. Surgery Historically, esophagectomy was performed entirely through open surgery. This procedure was complex, associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as well as intense acute and chronic postoperative pain. In this context, thoracic epidural analgesia (TEA) is the gold standard in the management of acute postoperative pain. It allows for opioid sparing and reduces postoperative pulmonary complications. In order to reduce postoperative pain, facilitate postoperative recovery and limit postoperative complications, particularly respiratory complications, the minimally invasive approach has been proposed for several surgical indications. This principle has led to the development of hybrid esophagectomy, i.e. an abdominal approach by laparoscopy and a thoracic approach by right thoracotomy. An abdominal laparoscopic approach during esophagectomy, even in combination with a right thoracotomy, would therefore limit postoperative complications compared to open surgery. In parallel to the wider use of hybrid esophagectomy, some teams have demonstrated the feasibility of a totally minimally invasive esophagectomy (TMIE), first video-assisted, then robot-assisted. The rise of minimally invasive surgery (both hybrid and totally minimally invasive) has led to a decrease in postoperative pain compared to open surgery. Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols have been developed to improve postoperative recovery and management of acute postoperative pain. In this context, thoracic epidural analgesia TEA may prove counterproductive by inducing arterial hypotension requiring vasopressor drugs, acute urinary retention, and limiting mobilization. Moreover, thoracic epidural analgesia TEA failure occurs in 30% of cases. In minimally invasive surgery, it may be inadequate in half of the patients. Paravertebral block (PVB) appears as a satisfactory alternative for postoperative analgesia management. In this sense, PVB is recommended for pain management in thoracoscopic lung. Evidence of the effectiveness and interest of the paravertebral catheter is lacking regarding totally minimally invasive esophageal surgery as most studies demonstrating the benefit of Paravertebral block PVB in esophageal surgery were retrospective.

Infectious complications represent the most common postoperative adverse events following esophagectomy for cancer, such as pneumonia (15% of cases). These complications increase immediate risks, lengthen hospital stays, and worsen patient quality of life. The population includes patients admitted to intensive care after esophagectomy for cancer between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2024. The study focuses on this population due to the increasing incidence of esophageal cancer, the increased use of surgery for these indications, and the importance of postoperative infections in these complex procedures, despite their understudied nature in the current literature. Identifying modifiable risk factors could lead to corrective measures and thus improve the prognosis of postoperative patients. The research focuses primarily on the incidence, types, factors, and prognosis associated with the occurrence of infections after esophagectomy for cancer. It also includes an analysis of the pathogens involved, their resistance profiles, and the antibiotic therapies used in first-line probabilistic treatment.

The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of an ultrasound guided left sided stellate ganglion block with bupivacaine in patients undergoing esophagectomy, pneumonectomy, or lobectomy will result in lower rates of postoperative atrial fibrillation as compared to standard of care.

This study is to collect and analyze the clinical information of patients who underwent reconstruction using conduits other than the stomach, such as the colon and small intestine, after esophagectomy. Currently, reconstruction after esophagectomy is mainly performed using the stomach, and there is very little information on reconstruction using the colon and small intestine. Therefore, this study aims to collect information on patients who underwent reconstruction using conduits other than the stomach, analyze the surgical performance, find clinical improvements, and build a foundation for future clinical quality improvement.

Open surgery for esophageal cancer commonly involves large incisions in the chest, associated with a high rate of pulmonary complications (30-50%). Minimally invasive approach through keyhole surgery has been shown to reduce pulmonary infections by 20%. Enhanced recovery programmes are evidence-based protocols, developed to achieve early recovery after surgery with early mobilisation and chest physiotherapy and have been shown to reduce pulmonary complication rates as well. The investigators intend to objectively measure chest wall movement using 3D motion capture system as well as a wearable measurement system to monitor chest wall movement.

In our high volume center, the majority of esophagectomy procedures are performed with minimally invasive techniques. The thoracic epidural technique remains the gold standard and homolateral paravertebral catheter is strongly recommended. The vasoplegia and sympathetic blockade due to the epidural can cause significant hypotension especially as reverse Trendelenburg position is required during surgery. The aim is to study hemodynamic changes caused by two different techniques. Previous studies found a similar pain management between both locoregional techniques, however few studies suggested less side effects in the paravertebral group during major abdominal surgeries.

Esophagectomy is the cornerstone of the curative treatment of esophageal carcinoma. Despite this treatment, patients can suffer from locoregional or distant metastatic disease and only a very selected group of patients can be cured: mostly those with recurrence in one single organ. Brain metastases are rare after esophagectomy for cancer, but they have a serious impact on survival. Agressive treatment is often moren difficult for brain metastases compared to other metastases and some risk factors have been identified earlier. There is an impression that the incidence of brain metastases in esophageal cancer patients has increased since the introduction of neoadjuvant treatment schemes. However, this is not clear yet. A potential explanation could be that chemotherapy disturbs the blood-brain-barrier, hereby facilitating the migration of tumor cells to the brain. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively analyze the incidence and potential risk factors of brain metastases in patients who underwent esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Patients treated between 2000 and 2019 will be included and outcome parameters are Odds Ratio for brain metastases (comparison between primary surgery and neoadjuvant treatment followed by surgery), time to recurrence and risk factors, number and characteristics of the brain metastases.

To analyze and compare the long-term recurrence-free survival rate, overall survival rate and quality of survival after minimally invasive esophagectomy and open esophagectomy, and to conduct subgroup analysis according to the type of esophageal cancer and pathological stage, etc., and to explore more deeply the differences between minimally invasive esophagectomy and open esophagectomy in terms of the benefits for different types of patients, so as to provide reference for the selection of the clinical surgical methods. We will also use the available data to analyze the influence of other factors on patients\&#39; long-term survival after surgery.