Thoracoscopic vs open esophagectomy: Short-term efficacy with laparoscopic gastric tube

Table 3 Comparison of postoperative recovery between the two groups, mean ± SD

Group	Chest-tube duration (days)	Time to first ambulation (days)	Postoperative hospital stay (days)	Return of bowel sounds (hours)	Time to oral fluid tolerance (days)
Thoracoscopic group	5.1 ± 1.5	2.5 ± 0.8	12.5 ± 3.2	28.5 ± 6.8	5.8 ± 1.2
Open surgery group	7.2 ± 2.1	2.8 ± 1.0	15.8 ± 4.5	35.2 ± 9.5	6.9 ± 1.8
t-value	-5.678	-1.234	-4.123	-4.012	-3.567
P value	< 0.001	0.220	< 0.001	< 0.001	0.001