Man Suffers Inability to Eat Due to Leak from Esophagectomy

Case Overview

This case involves a 49-year-old patient with a history of smoking who underwent a minimally invasive esophagectomy to treat esophageal dysplasia. The patient was on a liquid diet for the first 11 days of his admission and on the 12th day the surgeon decided to advance the patient to a full solid diet. The patient immediately experienced severe pain in his upper abdomen upon ingesting the solids. He subsequently developed a severe leak where his esophagus connected to his stomach. Another surgery had to be performed in an attempt to fix the damage. However, the patient continued to suffer from the inability to independently eat via mouth due to the damages caused following the first surgery.