Maxwell T Trudeau1, Laura Maggino2, Bofeng Chen1, Matthew T McMillan1, Major K Lee1, Robert Roses1, Ronald DeMatteo1, Jeffrey A Drebin3, Charles M Vollmer4. 1. Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. 2. Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Surgery, Unit of General and Pancreatic Surgery, The Pancreas Institute, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. 3. Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY. 4. Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: Charles.Vollmer@uphs.upenn.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Intraoperative drain use for pancreaticoduodenectomy has been practiced in an unconditional, binary manner (placement/no placement). Alternatively, dynamic drain management has been introduced, incorporating the Fistula Risk Score (FRS) and drain fluid amylase (DFA) analysis, to mitigate clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). STUDY DESIGN: An extended experience with dynamic drain management was used at a single institution for 400 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomies (2014 to 2019). This protocol consists of the following: drains omitted for negligible/low-risk FRS (0 to 2) and drains placed for moderate/high-risk FRS (3 to 10) with early (postoperative day [POD] 3) removal if POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L. Adherence to this protocol was prospectively annotated and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The overall CR-POPF rate was 8.7%, with none occurring in the negligible/low-risk cases. Moderate/high-risk patients manifested an 11.9% CR-POPF rate (n = 35 of 293), which was lower on-protocol (9.5% vs 21%; p = 0.014). After drain placement, POD1 DFA ≥5,000 U/L was a better predictor of CR-POPF than FRS (odds ratio 14.7; 95% CI, 4.3 to 50.3). For POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L, early drain removal was associated with fewer CR-POPFs (2.8% vs 23.5%; p < 0.001), and substantiated by multivariable analysis (odds ratio 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.28). Surgeon adherence was inversely related to CR-POPF rate (R = 0.846). CONCLUSIONS: This extended experience validates a dynamic drain management protocol, providing a model for better drain management and individualized patient care after pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study confirms that drains can be safely omitted from negligible/low-risk patients, and moderate/high-risk patients benefit from early drain removal.
BACKGROUND: Intraoperative drain use for pancreaticoduodenectomy has been practiced in an unconditional, binary manner (placement/no placement). Alternatively, dynamic drain management has been introduced, incorporating the Fistula Risk Score (FRS) and drain fluid amylase (DFA) analysis, to mitigate clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF). STUDY DESIGN: An extended experience with dynamic drain management was used at a single institution for 400 consecutive pancreaticoduodenectomies (2014 to 2019). This protocol consists of the following: drains omitted for negligible/low-risk FRS (0 to 2) and drains placed for moderate/high-risk FRS (3 to 10) with early (postoperative day [POD] 3) removal if POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L. Adherence to this protocol was prospectively annotated and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The overall CR-POPF rate was 8.7%, with none occurring in the negligible/low-risk cases. Moderate/high-risk patients manifested an 11.9% CR-POPF rate (n = 35 of 293), which was lower on-protocol (9.5% vs 21%; p = 0.014). After drain placement, POD1 DFA ≥5,000 U/L was a better predictor of CR-POPF than FRS (odds ratio 14.7; 95% CI, 4.3 to 50.3). For POD1 DFA ≤5,000 U/L, early drain removal was associated with fewer CR-POPFs (2.8% vs 23.5%; p < 0.001), and substantiated by multivariable analysis (odds ratio 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.28). Surgeon adherence was inversely related to CR-POPF rate (R = 0.846). CONCLUSIONS: This extended experience validates a dynamic drain management protocol, providing a model for better drain management and individualized patient care after pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study confirms that drains can be safely omitted from negligible/low-risk patients, and moderate/high-risk patients benefit from early drain removal.
Authors: Stefan Ludwig; Marius Distler; Undine Schubert; Janine Schmid; Henriette Thies; Thilo Welsch; Sebastian Hempel; Torsten Tonn; Jürgen Weitz; Stefan R Bornstein; Barbara Ludwig Journal: Commun Med (Lond) Date: 2022-03-03