Objective To investigate the application of left transthoracic small incisions in combination with tubular gastrectomy for radical esophageal cancer surgery in elderly patients.Methods Clinical data of 83 patients with carcinoma in the middle or lower third of the esophagus aged ≥ 70 years who had undergone radical surgery at our hospital from January 2012 to September 2014 were collected.Patients were divided into two groups:the tubular gastrectomy group (n=38) which had undergone radical surgery through left transthoracic small incisions in combination with tubular gastrectomy and the stomach group (n =45) which had been treated with esophagectomy through conventional left posterolateral incisions and esophageal reconstruction with the remnant stomach.Clinical outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results Compared with the stomach group,operative blood loss [(204.3±75.4) ml vs.(258.4±80.2) ml,t=2.720,P＜0.05],chest drainage on the first and second postoperative day [(201.7±82.6) ml vs.(320.5±78.1) ml,(150.8±83.0) ml vs.(244.6 ± 81.2) ml,t =3.221 and 3.189,respectively,each P＜0.05],pain scores on the third postoperative day [(3.73 ± 1.02) vs.(0.24 ± 1.15),t =2.858,P ＜ 0.05],incidence of arrhythmia (13.2％ vs.33.3％,x2 =4.585,P＜0.05),pulmonary complications (18.4％ vs.46.7％,x2=7.353,P＜0.05) and incidences of gastroesophageal reflux and gastric emptying disorders (23.7％ vs.55.6％,0.0％ vs 11.1％,x2 =8.654 and 4.493,both P＜0.05) were less or lower in the tubular gastrectomy group.The two groups had no significant difference in operation time,length of hospital stay,anastomotic leakage,anastomotic stenosis or 1-year survival rate (each P ＞0.05).Conclusions Radical surgery with small incisions through the left chest combined with tubular gastrectomy shows highly favorable clinical outcomes in elderly patients with middle or lower esophageal cancer,and can significantly reduce surgical trauma,decrease postoperative complications,improve the quality of life,and help patients recover after surgery.

Objective To evaluate the effect of perioperative administration of Ambroxol combined with Ipratropium on elderly lung cancer patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery.Methods 82 lung cancer patients aged ≥70 years who were scheduled for thoracoscopic lung resection were randomly assigned into 2 groups:the observation group(n=42) and the control group(n=40).Patients in the observation group were treated with 90 mg Ambroxol(mucosolvan) by intravenous drip and Ipratropium(atrovent) by atomizing inhalation,while patients in the control group were treated with an equal volume of 0.9％ sodium chloride solution.Pulmonary function and changes of arterial blood gases at admission,before surgery and 5 days after surgery,incidences of postoperative atelectasis and pulmonary infection,the rate of return to the intensive care unit(ICU),and the length of postoperative hospital stay were compared between the 2 groups.Results Compared with the control group,the percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1％),the ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 second to forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC％),the percent predicted maximum ventilation volume per minute (MVV％),and the arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) were increased in the observation group before surgery [(87.0±8.2)％ vs.(80.6±7.6) ％,(90.4±6.4)％ vs.(81.4±7.0)％,(87.1±5.6)％ vs.(74.6±6.9) ％,(86.6±6.2) mmHg vs.(81.7±6.9)mmHg,t=2.477,2.588,2.937,3.405,respectively,allP＜0.05].TheFEV1％,FEV1/FVC％,MVV％ and PaO2 were higher in the observation group than in the control group 5 days after treatment [(76.4±9.2) ％ vs.(67.3±10.2) ％,(74.7±9.1) ％ vs.(63.0±11.2) ％,(69.5±9.2)％ vs.(60.1±9.2) ％,(79.5±11.5) mmHg vs.(70.1±11.8) mmHg,t 2.583,2.987,2.778,2.666,respectively,all P＜0.05].The incidences of postoperative atelectasis,pulmonary infection and the length of postoperative hospital stay were lower or less in the observation group than in the controlgroup[7.1％ vs.25.0％,11.90％ vs.32.50％,(8.5±1.8) days vs.(12.1±2.6) days,x2=4.897,5.072,2.351,respectively,all P＜0.05].No significant difference in the rate of return to ICU was found between the two groups(P＞0.05).Conclusions The combination of perioperative Ambroxol and Ipratropium can effectively improve lung function by improving ventilation and gas exchange function,reduce postoperative pulmonary complications and shorten the length of postoperative hospital stay in lung cancer patients aged 70 years and over.