The case against preoperative biliary drainage with pancreatic resection

The clinical impact of preoperative biliary drainage on isolated infectious complications (iiC) after pancreatic head resection—a retrospective study

Background

The perioperative morbidity after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) is mostly influenced by intraabdominal complications which are often associated with infections. In patients with preoperative biliary drainage (PBD), the risk for postoperative infections may be even elevated. The aim of this study is to explore if isolated infectious complications without intraabdominal focus (iiC) can be observed after PD and if they are associated to PBD and antibiotic prophylaxis with potential conclusions for their treatment.

Methods

During a 10-year period from 2009 to 2019, all consecutive PD were enrolled prospectively in a database and analyzed retrospectively. Bacteriobilia (BB) and Fungibilia (FB) were examined by intraoperatively acquired smears. A perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis was performed by Ampicillin/Sulbactam. For this study, iiC were defined as postoperative infections like surgical site infection (SSI), pneumonia, unknown origin etc. Statistics were performed by Fisher’s exact test and Mann Whitney U test.

Results

A total of 426 PD were performed at the Vivantes Humboldt-hospital. The morbidity was 56% (n = 238). iiC occurred in 93 patients (22%) and accounted for 38% in the subgroup of patients with postoperative complications. They were not significantly related to BB and PBD but to FB. The subgroup of SSI, however, had a significant relationship to BB and FB with a poly microbial profile and an accumulation of E. faecalis, E. faecium, Enterobacter, and Candida. BB was significantly more frequent in longer lay of PBD. Resistance to standard PAP and co-existing resistance to broad spectrum antibiotics is frequently found in patients with iiC. The clinical severity of iiC was mostly low and non-invasive therapy was adequate. Their treatment led to a significant prolongation of the hospital stay.

Conclusions

iiC are a frequent problem after PD, but only in SSI a significant association to BB and FB can be found in our data. Therefore, the higher resistance of the bacterial species to routine PAP, does not justify broad spectrum prophylaxis. However, the identification of high-risk patients with BB and PBD (length of lay) is recommended. In case of postoperative infections, an early application of broad-spectrum antibiotics and adaption to microbiological findings from intraoperatively smears may be advantageous.

Does the Microbiology of Bactibilia Drive Postoperative Complications After Pancreatoduodenectomy?

BACKGROUND

The influence of bile microflora, particularly with broad antimicrobial resistance patterns, on postoperative outcomes after pancreatoduodenectomy (PD), is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the microbiology of bactibilia on postoperative outcomes following PD.

METHODS

Intraoperative bile cultures were obtained in 162 patients undergoing PD between 2015 and 2017. Intraoperative bile cultures were analyzed and correlated with short-term outcomes after PD. Independent groups t test, Pearson's correlation, or Fisher's exact tests were performed. Hazard ratios (HR) are reported with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Statistical significance was defined as P value of < 0.05.

RESULTS

Intraoperative bile cultures were positive in 89/162 patients (55%). The most common bacteria were Enterococcus spp. (n = 48, 54%), Klebsiella spp. (n = 24, 27%), and Enterobacter spp. (n = 17, 19%). Bactibilia was not associated with increased infectious complications, postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), or mortality. Enterococcus and Enterobacter were associated with higher rates of incisional (HR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.2-34.8; P = 0.03) and organ-space surgical site infection (HR, 4.9; 95% CI, 1.1-22.0; P = 0.03), respectively. No single bacterium was associated with POPF, bile leak, cholangitis, 30- or 90-day mortality.

CONCLUSION

Bactibilia, in general, does not increase the risk of developing a postoperative complication following pancreatoduodenectomy; however, Enterococcus and Enterobacter increase the likelihood of developing incisional and organ-space surgical infections, respectively.

Bacterobilia in pancreatic surgery-conclusions for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis

BACKGROUND

Jaundice or preoperative cholestasis (PC) are typical symptoms of pancreatic masses. Approximately 50% of patients undergo preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) placement. PBD is a common cause of bacterobilia (BB) and is a known surgical site infection risk factor. An adjustment of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) may be reasonable according to the profile of BB. For this, we examined the microbiological findings in routine series of patients.

AIM

To investigate the incidence and profile of biliary bacterial colonization in patients undergoing pancreatic head resections.

METHODS

In the period from January 2009 to December 2015, 285 consecutive pancreatic head resections were performed. Indications for surgery were malignancy (71%), chronic pancreatitis (18%), and others (11%). A PBD was in 51% and PC was in 42%. The standard PAP was ampicillin/sulbactam. Intraoperatively, a smear was taken from the hepatic duct. An analysis of the isolated species and resistograms was performed. Patients were categorized according to the presence or absence of PC (PC+/PC-) and PBD (PBD+/PBD-) into four groups. Antibiotic efficiency was analyzed for standard PAP and possible alternatives.

RESULTS

BB was present in 150 patients (53%). BB was significantly more frequent in PBD+ (n =120) than in PBD- (n = 30), P < 0.01. BB was present both in patients with PC and without PC: (PBD-/PC-: 18%, PBD-/PC+: 30%, PBD+/PC-: 88%, PBD+/PC+: 80%). BB was more frequent in malignancy (56%) than in chronic pancreatitis (45%). PBD, however, was the only independent risk factor in multivariate analysis. In total, 357 pathogens (342 bacteria and 15 fungi) were detected. The five most common groups (n = 256, 74.8%) were Enterococcus spp. (28.4%), Streptococcus spp. (16.9%), Klebsiella spp. (12.6%), Escherichia coli (10.5%), and Enterobacter spp. (6.4%). A polymicrobial BB (PBD+: 77% vs PBD-: 40%, P < 0.01) and a more frequent detection of Enterococcus (P < 0.05) was significantly associated with PBD+. In PBD+, the efficiency of imipenem and piperacillin/tazobactam was significantly higher than that of the standard PAP (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

PBD-/PC- and PBD-/PC+ were associated with a low rate of BB, while PBD+ was always associated with a high rate of BB. In PBD+ patients, BB was polymicrobial and more often associated with Enterococcus. In PBD+, the spectrum of potential bacteria may not be covered by standard PAP. A more potent alternative for prophylactic application, however, was not found.

PRE-OPERATIVE BILIARY DRAINAGE IN THE PERIAMPULLARY NEOPLASIA - A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Introduction:

Periampular neoplasms represent 5% of all cancers of the gastrointestinal tract with peak incidence in the 7^th decade of life. The most common clinical picture is jaundice, weight loss and abdominal pain. Considering that cholestasis is related to postoperative complications, preoperative biliary drainage was developed to improve the postoperative morbidity and mortality of icteric patients with periampular neoplasias, whether resectable or not.

Objective:

To describe the outcome of patients with periampullary tumors undergoing preoperative biliary drainage with pancreatoduodenectomy.

Method:

The search was performed in the Medline/PubMed and Virtual Health Library databases by means of the combination of descriptors of the Medical Subject Headings. Inclusion criteria were clinical trials, cohorts, studies that analyze the morbidity and mortality of preoperative biliary drainage in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Exclusion criteria were studies published more than 10 years ago, experimental studies, systematic reviews and articles with WebQualis C or smaller journal in the area of ​​Medicine I or Medicine III. Of the 196 references found, 46 were obtained for reading with quality assessed through the Checklist Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology. Eight studies were selected for review.

Results:

A total of 1116 patients with a sample ranging from 48 to 280 patients and a mean age of 48 to 69 years were obtained. Of the eight studies, four observed a higher rate of bleeding in drained patients; three a higher rate of positive bile culture in the intervention group; site and cavitary infection, and biliopancreatic leaks were more common in the drainage group in two studies each. The death outcome and rate of reoperation were observed in larger numbers in the control group in one study each.

Conclusion:

Preoperative intervention leads to a higher rate of infectious complications and bleeding.

Role of preoperative biliary stents, bile contamination and antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical site infections after pancreaticoduodenectomy

BACKGROUND

The routine use of preoperative biliary drainage before pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) remains controversial. This observational retrospective study compared stented and non-stented patients undergoing PD to assess any differences in post-operative morbidity and mortality.

METHODS

A total of 180 consecutive patients who underwent PD and had intra-operative bile cultures performed between January 2010 and February 2013 were retrospectively identified. All patients received peri-operative intravenous antibiotic prophylaxis, primarily cefazolin.

RESULTS

Overall incidence of post-operative surgical complications was 52.3 %, with no difference between stented and non-stented patients (53.4 % vs. 51.1 %; p = 0.875). However, stented patients had a significantly higher incidence of deep incisional surgical site infections (SSIs) (p = 0.038). In multivariate analysis, biliary stenting was confirmed as a risk factor for deep incisional SSIs (p = 0.044). Significant associations were also observed for cardiac disease (p = 0.010) and BMI ≥25 kg/m(2) (p = 0.045). Enterococcus spp. were the most frequent bacterial isolates in bile (74.5 %) and in drain fluid (69.1 %). In antimicrobial susceptibilty testing, all Enterococci isolates were cefazolin-resistant.

CONCLUSION

Given the increased risk of deep incisional SSIs, preoperative biliary stenting in patients underging PD should be used only in selected patients. In stented patients, an antibiotic with anti-enterococcal activity should be chosen for PD prophylaxis.

Preoperative biliary drainage and pancreaticoduodenectomy

Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the standard procedure in the surgical treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice (MOJ). However, the postoperative recovery of the patients remains unsatisfactory, due to the extensive surgical trauma and high morbidity. In this review we briefly discuss the positive effect of preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) in reducing the complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy, explain the rationality and necessity of this technique, and discuss some key issues, such as the selection and indications of PBD.