Boerhaave's syndrome with late presentation. Experience in an Argentine single center: Case series

BACKGROUND: In the year 1724, Hermann Boerhaave reported a case of a Dutch admiral who died due to spontaneous rupture of the esophagus following vomiting. The aim of this retrospective study is to analyze the therapeutic modality, morbidity and mortaliy of a group of patients with spontaneous esophageal rupture treated in our hospital. METHODS: Ten patients were treated from March 1990 to August 2016. Seven patients were males and three were females. The age range was, 52–72 years, with an average of 66.2 years. In four patients, the diagnosis and posterior treatment were performed within 24 h (Group I) and the remaining six patients after 24 h (Group II). RESULTS: The mean hospital stay was 36.6 days (range 17–62 days). The mortality rate was 50%, which was due to septic shock and the morbidity of patients who survived was 40% due to pneumonia in one case and fistula in another. DISCUSSIONS: This condition has a high mortality rate with a lethality that depends on the time between recognition of symptoms and proper surgical treatment.