title: Update on clinical impact, documentation, and management of complications associated with esophagectomy.
abstract: The assessment and monitoring of complications associated with esophageal resection suffers from the absence of an internationally recognized system for documenting the incidence and severity of complications. The impact of complications is significant, with direct effects being identified on mortality, length of stay, postoperative quality of life, and long-term survival. Newer systems of assessing surgical complication severity and the resources required to treat complications include the Accordion and Clavien grading systems. New endoscopic and interventional approaches to treating anastomotic leak and stricture and chyle leak can selectively decrease length of stay and costs of managing complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery and Thoracic Oncology, Virginia Mason Medical Center, 1100 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98111, USA. Electronic address: gtsdel@vmmc.org.
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bodnar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016629:Esophagectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics / Q000401:mortality; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Accordion; Clavien; Complications; Esophageal cancer; Esophagectomy; Standardized pathways