Pancreatic debridement in a district general hospital--viable or vulnerable?

Little is known about the outcome after pancreatic debridement in the district general hospital (DGH) setting and the debate about centralisation of pancreatic surgical services continues. We retrospectively reviewed our experience over 2 years, looking particularly at mortality, morbidity and cost. Of 12 cases treated during this period, 8 were women and 7 were gallstone induced. The mean pre-operative age was 56.5 years and pre-operative Apache II score was 15. The rates for postoperative morbidity and mortality were 67% and 25%, respectively In half, digital necrosectomy was performed and in half a regional pancreatic resection. These figures are similar to others found in the literature (comparison with 15 contemporary series). The median cost per patient was 21,487 pounds, mainly due to ITU accommodation (57.4% of total costs). This is similar to other previously published rates and the rate from our local tertiary centre. It is concluded that acceptable results for pancreatic debridement are producible in the DGH at economically viable levels.