title: Anaesthesia for three-stage thoracoscopic oesophagectomy: an initial experience.
abstract: We report our experience in the anaesthetic management of five patients undergoing three-stage thoracoscopic oesophagectomy. One patient required conversion to open thoracotomy because of extensive pleural adhesions. The other four patients, aged between 68 and 78, were all chronic smokers with mid-oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The duration of thoracoscopic surgery (and obligatory one-lung ventilation) ranged from 2.5 to 4 hours with total surgical time ranging from 7.5 to 9.5 hours. Anaesthetic considerations included the use of one-lung ventilation to provide surgical access, the cardiorespiratory effects of capnothorax, difficulties in assessing surgical blood loss during thoracoscopic dissection, crowding in the operating room with limitation of access to the patient and the risk of intraoperative dislodgement of the endobronchial tube. Postoperative pulmonary complications were not decreased in our patients despite the avoidance of thoracotomy. The thoracoscopic technique might contribute to pulmonary complications because of prolonged thoracoscopic dissection and unintentional pulmonary injuries. The concept of minimally invasive surgery needs further evaluation when the technique is applied in extensive procedures such as oesophagectomy.
authors: Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin NT.
authors: P T
authors: PT
authors: Chui
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Mainland
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Chung
authors: D C
authors: DC
authors: Chung
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000601:surgery; D004210:Dissection / Q000009:adverse effects; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007327:Insufflation; D007431:Intraoperative Complications; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D010995:Pleural Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012907:Smoking; D015996:Survival Rate; D013906:Thoracoscopy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D013908:Thoracotomy; D013997:Time Factors; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide