title: Retrosternal gastric bypass for inoperable esophageal cancer: a report of 71 patients.
abstract: Palliative substernal gastric bypass was performed in 71 patients with unresectable cancer of the intrathoracic esophagus. Fifty-six patients (78.9%) left the hospital, 53 eating normally and 3 on a soft diet. There were 15 hospital deaths (21%), 8 due to respiratory failure and pulmonary sepsis with tracheoesophageal fistulization. The remaining 7 deaths were due to aspiration and respiratory failure in 2 patients, anastomotic leakage with sepsis in 2, subphrenic abscess and septicemia in 1, mediastinitis in 1, and intestinal obstruction in 1. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 17 patients (23.9%), 5 of whom died. Wound infections developed in 28 patients (39.4%), 3 with mediastinal esophagocutaneous fistulas. Reestablishment of unimpeded swallowing, relief of respiratory aspiration, isolation of cancerous tracheobronchial infiltration, and freedom from incident-prone endoesophageal tubes were achieved in all patients leaving the hospital. Information is presented on 25 patients who were available for follow-up.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000601:surgery*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care; D013270:Stomach / Q000601:surgery*