The use and evaluation of prevention methods to reduce inflammatory and diffuse septic complications in patients undergoing pancreatic resection

Background: Surgery for chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic neoplasms is associated with a  risk of acute destructive pancreatitis and pancreaticojejunal anastomotic leakage in the early postoperative period. Despite the availability of multiple surgical and pharmaceutical approaches to prevent these complications, they continue to be associated with high mortality.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of the clinical use of our original preventive methods of postoperative pancreatitis and diffuse inflammatory and septic complications in patients undergoing pancreatic resection due to its benign and malignant diseases.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively analyzed the results of surgical treatment of 524  patients following pancreatic resection. All patients underwent pancreatic surgery in the Rostov Regional Clinical Hospital (Rostov-on-Don, Russia) from February 2005 to April 2018 for the following indications: complicated chronic pancreatitis in 221 patient, pancreatic and major duodenal papilla tumors in 303 patients. Organ-preserving procedures were performed in 250 patients, and radical extended resections of the pancreas in 274  patients. In 489  patients, the procedures were finalized with the formation of anastomosis between the pancreatic duct and jejunum. In 373  patients, the reconstruction step included enterostomal drainage of the pancreatic duct. To prevent acute postoperative pancreatitis and diffuse septic and inflammatory complications, in 298 patients we used our original techniques, while 226 patients underwent conventional procedures.

Results: Among 226  patients, who had underwent conventional procedures, the complications occurred in 75 (33.19%), with septic complications in 29.33% (22 patients). Of 298 patients, in whom any of the original prevention techniques had been used, the complications were seen in 67 (22.48%), with septic complications in 13.43% (9 patients). Seventeen (17, or 11.97%  of the total number) patients had to be re-operated, with 15 (6.64%) having been initially operated without additional preventive measures, and 2 (0.67%) with the use of the original prevention techniques. Overall postoperative mortality was 2.48%. The causes of death were: peritonitis in 4 patients, arrosive bleeding from visceral arteries in 4, bleeding from pancreatic head stump into the omental sac in 2, bleeding at the pancreaticojejunal anastomosis in 1, and cardiac disorders in 2.

Conclusion: The study results have shown that the use of techniques to prevent the spread of inflammation and septic in the abdominal cavity and decreasing the rates of postoperative necrotic pancreatitis in pancreatic resections allows for a reduction of these complications and related mortality.