Surgical complications requiring late surgical revisions after pancreatoduodenectomy increase postoperative morbidity and mortality.

Abstract

Background: Pancreatoduodenectomies are complex surgical procedures with considerable postoperative morbidity and mortality. Here, we describe complications and outcomes in patients requiring surgical revisions following pancreatoduodenectomy.

Methods: A total of 1048 patients undergoing a pancreatoduodenectomy at our institution between 2002 and 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. All patients with surgical revisions were included. Revisions were divided into early and late using a cut-off of 5 days after the first surgery. Statistical significance was examined by using chi-square tests and Fisher's exact tests. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests.

Results: A total of 150 patients with at least 1 surgical revision after pancreatoduodenectomy were included. Notably, 64 patients had a revision during the first 5 days and were classified as early revision. Compared with the 86 patients with late revisions, we found no differences concerning wound infections, delayed gastric emptying, or acute kidney failure. After late revisions, we found significantly more cases of sepsis (31.4% late versus 15.6% early, p = 0.020) and reintubation due to respiratory failure (33.7% versus 18.8%, p = 0.031). Postoperative mortality was significantly higher within the late revision group (23.2% versus 9.4%, p = 0.030).

Conclusion: Arising complications after pancreatoduodenectomy should be addressed as early as possible as patients requiring late surgical revisions frequently developed septic complications and multiorgan failure.