Successful Closure of a Gastropulmonary Fistula after Esophagectomy Using the Apollo Overstitch and Endoscopic Vacuum Therapy

Gastropulmonary fistulas following transthoracic en bloc esophagectomy and intrathoracic gastric reconstruction (Ivor Lewis esophagectomy) are rare but life-threatening complications. Surgical management of these is difficult and associated with significant instances of morbidity and mortality [1]. One possible treatment for leaks after upper gastrointestinal surgery is endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT) [2]. A newer treatment option is the endoscopic suturing system Apollo Overstitch [3] [4] [5]. The Overstitch is a single-use device that is placed on top of a double-channel therapeutic endoscope, which facilitates full-thickness surgical suturing in single or running technique. To our knowledge, the case presented below constitutes the first successful clinical application of a combination of Overstitch and EVT to close a gastropulmonary fistula after Ivor Lewis esophagectomy.