Transhiatal esophagectomy
Anesthesia type

General

Airway

8-O ETT

Lines and access

Large bore PIV Arterial Line NG-tube

Monitors

Standard Arterial Line

Primary anesthetic considerations
Preoperative
Intraoperative
Postoperative

Anastamotic leak

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Esophageal cancer incidence has been increasing and is now the eighth most common malignancy worldwide. Despite overall poor prognosis with this malignancy, surgery plays a significant role to increase long-term survival and possible cure. The transhiatal approach is used with a laparotomy below the xiphisternum to mobilize the stomach, which serves as an esophageal conduit and the anastamosis is made at the level of a neck incision. While an open approach was used traditionally, surgeons changed to favor the transthoracic approach originally described by Ivor Lewis. WIth advances in laparoscopic and robotic surgical techniques, the transhiatal esophagestomy has been increasing in popularity.

Preoperative management

Patient evaluation

System Considerations
Neurologic
Cardiovascular
Respiratory
Gastrointestinal
Hematologic
Renal
Endocrine
Other

Labs and studies

Operating room setup

  • 8-O ETT for periemergence bronchoscopy
  • Arterial line
  • Large bore peripheral IV
  • NG tube to decompress stomach

Patient preparation and premedication

  • EKG leads on back of shoulders to facilitate neck prep

Regional and neuraxial techniques

  • Epidural for post-operative pain control

Intraoperative management

Monitoring and access

  • Standard ASA Monitors
  • Arterial line

Induction and airway management

Positioning

  • Supine with both arms tucked

Maintenance and surgical considerations

Abdominal laparoscopy:
Gastric anastamosis:
Esophageal transection:
Gastric pull-through:
Anastamosis:

Emergence

Postoperative management

Disposition

Pain management

Potential complications

Procedure variants

  • Very few series have been published comparing robotic and laparoscopic approach.
Laparoscopic Robotic
Unique considerations
Position Supine Supine; arms tucked
Surgical time 279min[1] 267-311min
EBL 88mL[1] 54-100mL
Postoperative disposition
Pain management Epidural
Potential complications Pulmonary

Anastamotic leak (9-33%)

Vocal cord palsy (5-30%)

Length of Stay 9.2 days[1] 9-10 days

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Seto, Yasuyuki; Mori, Kazuhiko; Aikou, Susumu (2017-09). "Robotic surgery for esophageal cancer: Merits and demerits". Annals of Gastroenterological Surgery. 1 (3): 193–198. doi:10.1002/ags3.12028. ISSN 2475-0328. PMC 5881348. PMID 29863149. Check date values in: |date= (help)