Post oesophagectomy leakage at Kenyatta National Hospital – Nairobi - Kenya

Abstract

Background: Post oesophagectomy leakage is a common postoperative complication. This present review was aimed at documenting the problem of post-oesophagectomy leakage and associated variables at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) between January 1998 and December 2004.
Methods: All patients presenting with carcinoma of the oesophagus and who underwent an oesophagectomy were included into the study. Analysis of data was carried out to determine the leakage rate as well as determining the association of leaks with other preoperative and postoperative variables. Statistical analysis performed on Microsoft Excel (10.2614.2625), and Epinfo 2002. The Chi² test was used to determine statistical significance. Level of significance was achieved if the p value was < 0.05.
Results: A total of 201 oesophagectomies were carried out in the period under review. The male to female sex ratio was 1.6:1. The average age was 57 years with a range of 24 years to 88 years. Two thirds (67.1%) of the anastomoses were fashioned within the thoracic cavity while the rest were fashioned within the cervical area. A total 16.4% of anastomoses leaked. The in-hospital mortality rate for all oesophagectomies was 28.9%. The in-hospital mortality for the post anastomotic leakage patients was 48.4% as compared to 27.2% among those patients who did not develop anastomotic leakage.
Conclusion: Post oesophagectomy leakage remains common complication at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).