[Is early extubation after surgery for esophageal cancer possible?]

In a series of 50 patients undergoing elective oesogastrectomy through a laparotomy and a right thoracotomy, the avoidance of overnight ventilatory support was made possible by the agreement of anaesthetists and surgeons on suitable policies. The attempt to extubate the patients immediately postoperatively differentiated two groups. For the first group (32 patients; 64%), early extubation could be performed and only one patient was reintubated and required prolonged ventilation. A second group comprised 18 patients who could not be extubated early (36%). For most of the patients in this second group extubation was only delayed until the next day, and recovery was otherwise uneventful. In three cases, however, pulmonary atelectasis with infection was a major problem, and these patients required broncho-endoscopies, and prolonged ventilatory support. Nevertheless, morbidity and mortality after oesophagectomy were significantly reduced in this series, compared with a previous study in the same hospital. Careful postoperative assessment of the patient is essential. The main factors leading to the decision for early extubation appeared to be: absence of serious cardiovascular history, absence of peroperative surgical complications, adequate rewarming, normal chest X-ray, and the presence of clinical criteria for extubation along with adequate arterial blood gases. If the above criteria can be achieved, then early extubation should be routine and can be safely performed in the majority of cases.