Chest mediastinal tube: Transthoracic mediastinal drainage was performed for postoperative management of the patient.
Abdominal mediastinal tube: Transperitoneal mediastinal drainage was performed for postoperative management of the patient.
Chest tube + chest mediastinal tube: Chest tube insertion combined with transthoracic mediastinal drainage was performed for postoperative management of the patient.
Study summary
This RCT compares three drainage approaches after minimally invasive esophagectomy (chest tube + thoracic mediastinal drainage tube, thoracic, and abdominal mediastinal drainage tube) to evaluate perioperative outcomes, addressing current evidence gaps in pain and complication profiles.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
18 Years
Max age
—
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion Criteria:
* Age ≥18 years
* Pathologically confirmed esophageal cancer requiring three-incision esophagectomy (cervical, thoracic, and abdominal incisions)
* ASA physical status class I-III
Exclusion Criteria:
* History of chronic pain or long-term use of analgesics prior to surgery
* Severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction (e.g., FEV1 \<50%)
* Coagulation disorders or patients undergoing reoperation
* Intraoperative findings of extensive pleural adhesions, combined resection of adjacent organs, or other conditions deemed by the investigator to warrant exclusion
Primary outcome measure(s)
Postoperative Pain Scores — Pain scores were recorded at different times during the postoperative period when the patients were quiet and active (at 7 AM, 11 AM, 3 PM, and 7 PM) from postoperative day 1 to postoperative day 4. Pain scores were assessed based on the visual analog scale according to the World Health Organization guidelines, in which 0 indicated no pain and 10 indicated the worst possible pain.
We also recorded and evaluated maximum daily pain scores when pain caused by the mediastinal drainage tube incision.
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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