Use of low dose dopamine, gabexate mesilate and ulinastatin reduces the water balance and pulmonary complication in thoracic esophagectomy patients

In spite of improvements in surgical technique and perioperative care, severe lung complication remains as the leading cause of morbidity in thoracic esophageal cancer patients who undergo esophagectomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of postoperative drug therapy using low dose dopamine, gabexate mesilate, and ulinastatin on postoperative lung complication in esophageal cancer patients. Sixty-one patients operated for esophageal cancer from 1996 to 2000 were treated postoperatively with low dose dopamine (300 mu g/kg/h), gabexate mesilate (80 mg/h), and ulinastatin (300 000 unit/day) as a study group. Seventy-four patients operated from 1987 to 1994 served as an historical control group. Various preoperative and perioperative medical parameters and water balance were analyzed. Postoperative pulmonary complications were observed in 26 patients (35.1%) in the control group and three patients (4.9%) in the study group, respectively (P < 0.0001). Preoperative and perioperative variables were not significantly different between the groups. Water balance from operation to postoperative day 3 in the study group was significantly lower than the control group. Postoperative use of low dose dopamine, gabexate mesilate, and ulinastatin significantly reduced pulmonary complications after esophagectomy. This may be partly attributable to negative water balance during the early postoperative days.