Abstract
Esophageal carcinoma treated at this surgical unit for past 11 years accounted for 103 cases, 90 males and 13 females at the age of 35 to 82, a mean age of 63.0 years. Fourtytwo patients (40.7%) of these received a radical operation. Twelve percent of these patients died following the surgical procedure, and postoperative complications developed in 4.7%, of which 19.0% were pulmonary complications. Pulmonary complications were particularly many in aged patients, 65 years old or over. There were noted no specific correlation between the preoperative respiratory function and the postoperative pulmonary complication. The artificial respiration via a nasotracheal tube immediately after the operation was effective and was thought to be an appropriate procedure to be employed even for aged patients irrespective of absence of preoperative respiratory dysfunction. Swan Ganz catheter is an effective tool for the postoperative management of patients as it allows to seize and deal with, in a relative early postoperative stage, the critical condition of the cardio-pulmonary function.
