title: Short and long term outcomes of oesophagectomy in a provincial New Zealand hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oesophagectomy is a complex procedure associated with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. There is very little published data from New Zealand, with no published data from a non-Tertiary New Zealand hospital. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of oesophagectomy at a single provincial hospital in New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of clinical records of all patients who underwent oesophagectomy at Palmerston North Hospital (a level II provincial New Zealand public hospital) between 1993 and 2010 was performed. Demographic data, operative details, postoperative recovery parameters, survival data, pathological data, and details of adjuvant treatment were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from all 68 patients who underwent oesophagectomy were included. Mean age was 63.6 plus or minus 10.9 years, and 69% of patients were male. Mean operating time was 438.37 plus or minus 101.8 min, and mean intraoperative blood loss was 934.5 plus or minus 790.2 ml. Median intensive care unit stay was 7 (1-29) days, and total day stay was 17.5 (4-60) days. Tracheostomy was performed in 20 patients (29.4%). Anastomotic leak occurred in 7 patients (10.3%), chylothorax in 6 patients (8.8%) and cardiopulmonary complications in 34 patients (50.0%). The all cause in-hospital mortality rate was 4.4%. Overall survival at 30 days was 98.5%, at 1 year was 78.3% and at 5 years was 30.3%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Survival outcomes of oesophagectomy in this provincial New Zealand hospital are comparable to published series from national and international tertiary centres.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Palmerston North Hospital, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Fadhel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al-Herz
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Healey
authors.forename: Tarik
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sammour
authors.forename: Josese
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turagava
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rhind
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D057868:Anastomotic Leak / Q000209:etiology; D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000601:surgery; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001810:Blood Volume; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002916:Chylothorax / Q000209:etiology; D003422:Critical Care; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014139:Tracheostomy