Primary repair: damage control surgery in esophageal trauma
Abstract
Esophageal trauma is a rare but life-threatening event associated with high morbidity and mortality. An inadvertent esophageal perforation can rapidly contaminate the neck, mediastinum, pleural space, or abdominal cavity, resulting in sepsis or septic shock. Higher complications and mortality rates are commonly associated with adjacent organ injuries and/or delays in diagnosis or definitive management. This article aims to delineate the experience obtained by the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Group (CTE) of Cali, Colombia, on the surgical management of esophageal trauma following damage control principles. Esophageal injuries should always be suspected in thoracoabdominal or cervical trauma when the trajectory or mechanism suggests so. Hemodynamically stable patients should be radiologically evaluated before a surgical correction, ideally with computed tomography of the neck, chest, and abdomen. While hemodynamically unstable patients should be immediately transferred to the operating room for direct surgical control. A primary repair is the surgical management of choice in all esophageal injuries, along with endoscopic nasogastric tube placement and immediate postoperative care in the intensive care unit. We propose an easy-to-follow surgical management algorithm that sticks to the philosophy of "Less is Better" by avoiding esophagostomas.
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Keywords
- Esophageal Stenosis
- Advanced Trauma Life Support Care
- Laparotomy
- Fundoplication
- Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy
- Deglutition Disorders
- Mediastinal Emphysema
- Hematemesis
- Hemostatics
- Thoracotomy
- Tracheoesophageal Fistula
- esophagus
Author Biographies
, Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia. Division of Transplant Surgery, Department of Surgery, Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5502-5745
, Department of Trauma Critical Care, Broward General Level I Trauma Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL – USA
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6496-6275
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Hospital Universitario del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6996-5439
, Centro de Investigaciones Clínicas (CIC), Fundación Valle del Lili, Cali, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6128-0128
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1641-0421
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Hospital Universitario del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Centro Médico Imbanaco, Cali, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5862-4906
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Hospital Universitario del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1179-2854
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Hospital Universitario del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2974-0649
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Fundación Valle del Lili. Cali, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5326-2317
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Fundación Valle del Lili.
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8187-0638
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Centro Médico Imbanaco, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Fundación Valle del Lili. Cali, Colombia. Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9829-8930
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Fundación Valle del Lili. Cali, Colombia. Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia.
, Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, Department of Surgery. Fundación Valle del Lili. Cali, Colombia. Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia.
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