306. TREATMENT OF ANASTOMOTIC LEAKS AFTER ESOPHAGECTOMY AND GASTRECTOMY FOR CANCER BY MEANS OF ENDOSCOPIC VACUUM THERAPY

Abstract

Background Esophagectomy and gastrectomy are the cornerstones of the curative treatment of oesophageal and gastric cancer. In both techniques the risk of anastomotic leak (AL) is high, with rates of up to 21% after esophagectomy and up to 12% after gastrectomy. Mortality and morbidity are high after an AL occurs. Several treatment strategies have been developed for treatment of AL, including surgery, endoscopic stent and endoscopic vacuum therapy (EVT). The aim of this study is to analyse the treatment patterns of the patients with AL treated with EVT. Methods All patients diagnosed of gastric or oesophageal cancer with AL from January 2021 to January 2024 were included in a retrospective study. Baseline data, localization of the tumour, type of resection, type of anastomosis, total time with EVT, number of EVTs used per patient, hospital stay, Clavien-Dindo score and CCI were recorded. A descriptive analysis of the data is performed. Results All 18 patients with AL during the study period were treated with EVT. The tumour was located on the distal third of the oesophagus in 7 patients (38.9%), and stomach (27.8%). The median duration from surgery to the identification of AL was 5 days (IQR 4 – 9). The median duration of the EVT treatment was 18 days (IQR 13 – 23) with a median EVT replacement of 5.5 (IQR 4 – 7). 8 patients (44.4%) did not require ICU stay. Median time to resumption of oral intake was 34 days (IQR 26 –54). Success rate of the EVT therapy was 88.9%. Conclusions EVT is a useful tool for the treatment of AL in esophagogastric surgery. Even though the treatment may be long, it’s success rate in this series is 88.9% and it may avoid ICU stay in some cases. A close monitoring of this patients and the prompt use of additional techniques to assure source control is mandatory.