Patient Outcomes After Stent Failure for the Treatment of Acute Esophageal Perforation

Esophageal stent placement for acute esophageal perforation has become part of the treatment algorithm for many thoracic surgery programs. Despite high success rates, there are patients for which stent placement is not successful. This investigation summarizes the outcomes of a relatively large group of such patients.

Patients who underwent esophageal stent placement for an acute perforation but required conversion to another form of therapy were identified from a prospectively collected institutional database. Excluded were patients whose perforation was associated with a malignancy. Patient demographics, operative and nonoperative invasive procedures, morbidities, mortality, and 6-month follow-up after discharge were reviewed.

Between 2008 and 2015, 26 patients who failed to seal their esophageal leak after stent placement were identified. Eighteen (69%) of these patients required an operative repair with primary closure of the perforation. Four (15%) primary repairs had a persistent leak controlled with subsequent stent placement. Four (15%) patients required an esophagectomy with cervical esophagostomy. Three patients (11%), because of comorbid conditions, were referred for hospice care. One patient (3%) refused operative repair and developed a chronic fistula that resolved with subsequent stent placement.

Esophageal stent placement continues to be a safe and effective treatment for acute esophageal perforation. Patients whose perforation does not seal with initial stent placement can be treated with primary surgical repair or esophagectomy without increasing their morbidity or mortality or compromising their prognosis.