Bronchopleural Fistula: A Multi-Institutional Analysis of the Treatment Outcomes and Prognostic Factors in the ESSG-01 Study

This multi-institutional study of 81 patients with postoperative bronchopleural fistula (BPF) found a noncure rate of 46.9 percent and a mortality rate of 58 percent, with nearly half of the deaths directly related to BPF. Surgical intervention was performed in 85 percent of cases, with open-window thoracostomy being the most common procedure. Endoscopic treatments alone cured 21 percent of those attempted. Multivariate analysis identified low albumin (<3.0 g/L) and low hemoglobin (<11.0 g/L) at the onset of BPF as significant noncure risk factors. Notably, omental flaps achieved 100 percent fistula closure in several series and may be more favorable than muscle flaps for complex cases.