Postoperative analgesia reduces mortality and morbidity after esophagectomy

To study the influence of postoperative analgesia on morbidity and mortality after esophagectomy.

The outcomes of 578 patients who underwent one-stage resection between 1986 and 1995 were analyzed. Patients who received either epidural morphine, patient-controlled analgesia, or continuous intravenous morphine infusion supervised by an anesthesiology-based acute pain service (group APS, n = 299) were compared with those for whom conventional intramuscular meperidine injections were used (group CON, n = 279).

For patients who underwent transthoracic esophagectomy, group APS (n = 226) had a lower incidence of pulmonary complications (13% versus 25%, P = 0.002), cardiovascular complications (21% versus 43%, P < 0.001), and hospital mortality (8% versus 14%, P = 0.038) when compared with group CON (n = 189). No similar difference was demonstrated in patients who underwent esophagectomy without thoracotomy. The hospital stay (days) was shorter in group APS than in group CON for both transthoracic esophagectomy (22 +/- 20 versus 30 +/- 37, P = 0.005) and nontransthoracic esophagectomy patients (19 +/- 13 versus 25 +/- 21, P = 0.029).

Adequate postoperative analgesia is associated with lower cardiopulmonary complications, lower mortality and reduced cost in patients undergoing transthoracic esophagectomy.