This study aimed to address the short-term clinical outcomes of post-esophagectomy patients who underwent telehealth care following surgery. The primary objective was to compare the frequency of emergency department admission between telehealth and in-person cohorts. Secondary objectives included comparing the frequency of endoscopies and clinic visits, as well as reasons for emergency department admission. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the clinical outcomes of esophagectomy patients between March 2018 and May 2022. Patients attending telehealth (phone or video call) surgical follow-up visits, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were compared to a pre-COVID cohort of patients attending standard in person care. Demographic data, clinical and disease characteristics, and hospital visit data within 6 months of operation were collected. This included surgical clinic visits, endoscopies, and emergency department admissions. There were 168 esophagectomy patients who underwent follow-up care between March 2018 to May 2022; 76 telehealth and 92 in-person. Patients attending telehealth appointments had significantly fewer emergency department admissions (0.45 vs. 0.79, p = 0.037) and more endoscopy visits (1.37 vs. 0.91, p = 0.020) compared to patients attending in-person visits. The number of follow-up surgical clinic visits did not differ between the groups. The most frequent reasons for emergency visits for the telehealth cohort included dysphagia, feeding tube problems, and failure to thrive. For the in-person cohort, feeding tube complications, inflammation/infection, and failure to thrive were the most common reasons. A program of virtual follow-up, with integrated in person visits and endoscopy as required, is feasible and safe for following patients post esophagectomy.

中文翻译：

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远程医疗术后护理对食管切除术后早期结果的影响

本研究旨在解决食管切除术后接受远程医疗护理的患者的短期临床结果。主要目的是比较远程医疗和面对面队列之间急诊科入院的频率。次要目标包括比较内窥镜检查和就诊的频率，以及进入急诊室的原因。我们进行了一项回顾性队列研究，以评估 2018 年 3 月至 2022 年 5 月期间食管切除术患者的临床结果。主要由于 COVID-19 大流行而参加远程医疗（电话或视频通话）手术随访的患者与接受手术前的患者进行了比较。 -接受标准个人护理的新冠肺炎患者队列。收集人口统计数据、临床和疾病特征以及术后 6 个月内的医院就诊数据。这包括外科门诊就诊、内窥镜检查和急诊科入院。2018年3月至2022年5月期间，共有168名食管切除患者接受了随访护理；76 次远程医疗和 92 次现场医疗。与亲自就诊的患者相比，参加远程医疗预约的患者入院急诊的次数显着减少（0.45 vs. 0.79，p = 0.037），而内窥镜检查次数则显着增加（1.37 vs. 0.91，p = 0.020）。各组之间的后续外科门诊就诊次数没有差异。远程医疗队列中最常见的紧急就诊原因包括吞咽困难、饲管问题和发育迟缓。对于面对面的队列，饲管并发症、炎症/感染和发育不良是最常见的原因。虚拟随访计划，根据需要整合亲自就诊和内窥镜检查，对于食管切除术后患者的随访是可行且安全的。