Goal-directed therapy during transthoracic oesophageal resection does not improve outcome: Randomised controlled...

Goal-directed therapy (GDT) is expected to be of highest benefit in high-risk surgery. Therefore, GDT is recommended during oesophageal resection, which carries a high risk of postoperative complications.

The aim of this study was to confirm the hypothesis that GDT during oesophageal resection improves outcome compared with standard care.

A randomised controlled study.

Two Swedish university hospitals, between October 2011 and October 2015.

Sixty-four patients scheduled for elective transthoracic oesophageal resection were randomised. Exclusion criteria included colonic interposition and significant aortic or mitral valve insufficiency.

A three-step GDT protocol included stroke volume optimisation using colloid boluses as assessed by pulse-contour analysis, dobutamine infusion if cardiac index was below 2.5 l min m and norepinephrine infusion if mean arterial blood pressure was below 65 mmHg.

The incidence of complications per patient at 5 and 30 days postoperatively as assessed using a predefined list.

Fifty-nine patients were available for analysis. Patients in the intervention group received more colloid fluid (2190 ± 875 vs. 1596 ± 759 ml, P < 0.01) and dobutamine more frequently (27/30 vs. 9/29, P < 0.01). The median [interquartile range, IQR] incidence of complications per patient 5 days after surgery was 2 [0 to 3] in the intervention group and 1 [0 to 2] in the control group (P = 0.10), and after 30 days 4 [2 to 6] in the intervention group and 2 [1 to 4] in the control group (P = 0.10).

Goal-directed therapy during oesophageal resection did not result in a reduction of the incidence of postoperative complications.

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01416077.