Comparison of Central Venous Catheter Thoracic Drainage with Traditional Closed Thoracic Drainage after Minimally Invasive Surgery for Esophageal Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Background: To compare the effectiveness and safety of central venous catheter thoracic drainage (CVC-TD) with traditional closed thoracic drainage (TCTD) after minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 103 patients who underwent minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer at our institution between January 2017 and December 2019. Forty-four patients received CVC-TD, while 59 patients received TCTD. We compared the following outcomes between the two groups: drainage volume, drainage duration, incidence of postoperative complications (including pleural effusion, pneumonia, and atelectasis), length of hospital stays, and overall survival. Results The drainage volume and duration were similar between the two groups. However, the incidence of postoperative complications was significantly lower in the CVC-TD group than in the TCTD group (p < 0.05). The length of hospital stay was also shorter in the CVC-TD group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups. Conclusion CVC-TD is a safe and effective alternative to TCTD after minimally invasive surgery for esophageal cancer. It may help reduce the incidence of postoperative complications and shorten the length of hospital stay. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.