[Efficacy of continuous irrigation combined with closed thoracic drainage for esophagojejunal anastomotic fistula complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infections].

Objective: To investigate the clinical efficacy of continuous irrigation combined with closed thoracic drainage for esophagojejunal anastomotic fistula (EJAF) complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infection after total gastrectomy.

Methods: Clinical data of 22 EJAF patients complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infection after radical gastrectomy at Department of General Surgery of the 901th Hospital of PLA from June 2012 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Case inclusion criteria:(1) gastric adenocarcinoma confirmed by preoperative endoscopic pathology undergoing radical total gastrectomy without severe organ dysfunction;(2)EJAF complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infections diagnosed by postoperative radiography, the presence of pleural effusion confirmed by CT and ultrasound. Among them, 10 cases were treated with simple thoracic closed drainage (single drainage group); 12 cases received same closed thoracic drainage, and a rubber catheter was placed next to the closed thoracic drainage tube in the same sinus. A 0.9% sodium chloride solution was applied in continuous drip irrigation with drip velocity at 50 to 100 ml/h(continuous flushing plus drainage group). Infection indicators, anastomotic fistula healing time and related clinical indicators were compared between the two groups.

Results: In the simple drainage group, 5 cases were males, age was (61.9±10.7) years old, 4 cases received laparoscopic surgery, 6 cases received open surgery, 6 cases were EJAF grade III, 4 cases were EJAF IV. In continuous flushing and drainage group, 6 cases were males, age was (61.7±11.0) years old, 7 cases received laparoscopic surgery, 5 cases received open surgery, 6 cases were EJAF grade III, and 6 cases were EJAF grade IV. Baseline data including gender, age, underlying diseases, preoperative hematological examination indexes, surgical methods, tumor TNM stage and EJAF grade were not significantly different between the two groups (all P>0.05). When postoperative EJAF was complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infection, biochemical parameters including white blood cell, procalcitonin, C-reactive protein were not significantly different between two groups (all P>0.05). All patients of both groups achieved clinical cure without death. Compared with the simple drainage group after closed thoracic drainage, the continuous irrigation plus drainage group had significantly shorter duration of infection parameters returning to normal levels [white blood cell count: (6.8 ± 2.0) days vs.(10.5±3.0) days, t=4.062, P<0.001; procalcitonin: (7.5±1.0) days vs. (9.2±1.9) days, t=3.236, P=0.040; C-reactive protein: (8.8±1.0) days vs. (11.2±1.5) days, t=5.177, P<0.001], meanwhile time in surgical ICU [(4.9±2.5) days vs. (9.9±6.7) days, t=2.935, P=0.006], healing time of fistula [(42.9±12.5) days vs. (101.8±53.2) days, t=4.187, P=0.001] and total postoperative hospital stay [(62.3±15.8) days vs. (119.7 ±59.4) days, t=3.634, P=0.002] were significantly shorter, and total hospitalization cost was significantly lower (median 86 000 yuan vs. 124 000 yuan, Z=2.063, P=0.040) in the continuous irrigation plus drainage group.

Conclusion: The continuous closed thoracic drainage with 0.9% sodium chloride solution can accelerate infection control and remission of EJAF patients complicated with mediastinal, thoracic and abdominal infections, and shorten the healing time of anastomotic fistula.