2-TEAM SYNCHRONOUS ESOPHAGECTOMY

Between 1984 and 1992, 131 patients underwent two-team synchronous oes ophagectomy for carcinoma. Some 95 per cent of tumours were successful ly resected by this technique. In 5 per cent of patients the tumour wa s found to be irresectable at operation and gastric bypass was perform ed. The overall operative mortality rate was 8 per cent and the pulmon ary complication rate 10 per cent. The actuarial survival rate was 55 per cent at 1 year, 22 per cent at 3 years and 16 per cent at 5 years. When compared with the traditional two-stage Lewis approach, two-team synchronous oesophagectomy was significantly faster (mean 222 versus 282 min), but was not significantly different with respect to blood lo ss, transfusion requirement, pulmonary complications or operative mort ality rate. Patients undergoing two-team oesophagectomy had a signific antly shorter hospital stay than those receiving two-stage procedure ( mean 16 versus 24 days).