Endoluminal vacuum therapy using a fenestrated surgical drain for management of anastomotic leak following esophagectomy

Background: Endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT) for the management of anastomotic leak (AL) following esophagectomy conventionally uses a sponge applied to vacuum suction. This typically requires exchanges under a general anaesthesia (GA) every 3–5 days and may use self-made adaptations or commercially available devices. We report our experience of a novel EVT system using an endoscopically placed fenestrated surgical drain with applied vacuum suction. We aimed to see whether this was effective, safe, and reduced the frequency of endoscopic exchanges under GA.