ASSOCIATION OF PREOPERATIVE ANEMIA WITH EARLY POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS AND ANASTOMOTIC LEAK FOLLOWING MINIMALLY INVASIVE ESOPHAGECTOMY FOR ESOPHAGEAL CANCER
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Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate the association of preoperative anemia with early postoperative complications and anastomotic leak following minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted on 152 patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy at Military Hospital 103 from March 2012 to December 2025. Preoperative anemia was identified and stratified according to severity. The association between preoperative anemia and early postoperative complications was analyzed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of preoperative anemia was 42.1%. The overall rate of early postoperative complications was 28.9%, with no significant difference between the anemic and non-anemic groups (32.8% vs. 26.1%; OR = 1.38; p = 0.37). The incidence of anastomotic leak was significantly higher in the anemic group compared with the non-anemic group (18.8% vs. 4.5%; OR = 4.85; p = 0.005). Multivariable analysis showed that preoperative anemia is associated with an increased risk of anastomotic leakage. (OR = 7.86; 95%CI: 1.97 - 31.45; p = 0.004), but was not independently associated with overall postoperative complications. Conclusion: Preoperative anemia did not significantly increase the overall rate of early postoperative complications; however, it is associated with an increased rate of anastomotic leakage following radical esophagectomy.
Keywords
Esophageal cancer, Esophagectomy, Anastomotic leak
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References
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