What are the treatment methods for potential complications of esophageal cancer?

Surgery has always been the traditional treatment for esophageal cancer. After resection, the patient's condition can be quickly relieved. However, since this method requires surgery and bleeding, it is traumatic. Once infected, complications of esophageal cancer are likely to occur. So what are the treatment methods for potential complications of esophageal cancer? Let's introduce them to you below.

1. Diarrhea: After surgical resection, the patient's gastrointestinal function may be disturbed, leading to severe diarrhea. This is mainly due to vagus nerve severance and increased gastrin concentration. Therefore, antidiarrheal drugs should be actively given, and fluid replacement should be given at the same time to avoid dehydration.

2. Chest and stomach emptying disorder: After surgery, it is usually easy to cause gastrointestinal dysfunction, which causes chest and stomach emptying disorder and causes a large amount of food to be stored in the stomach. In this case, according to the specific situation of the patient, gastrointestinal decompression should be implemented, inverted gastric tube drainage or gastric juice reinfusion should be given, and the patient's nutritional status should be actively improved to relieve nausea.

3. Respiratory tract infection: In general, patients with respiratory tract infection usually present with cough, chest tightness, and dyspnea, etc. Therefore, the infection should be actively controlled first, and sputum suction or drug treatment should be given to improve the long-term efficacy.

4. Reflux: Some patients may also experience reflux esophagitis, which is usually characterized by acidic liquid or food refluxing from the gastroesophageal tract to the pharynx or oral cavity, often accompanied by pain behind the sternum. In this case, more attention should be paid to the patient's diet, and more liquid or semi-liquid food should be given. Smoking and alcohol should be stopped, and irritating foods should be avoided. Attention should be paid to gastrointestinal decompression to avoid discomfort caused by excessive abdominal pressure.