Comment on “The Time Has Come to Embrace Continuous Wound Infiltration via Preperitoneal Catheters as Routine Analgesic Therapy in Open Abdominal Surgery”

Validation of original, alternative, and updated alternative fistula risk scores after open and minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy in an Asian patient cohort

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to validate and compare the performance of the original fistula risk scores (o-FRS), alternative (a-FRS), and updated alternative FRS (ua-FRS) after open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) and laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy (LPD) in an Asian patient cohort.

METHODS

Data of 597 consecutive patients who underwent PD (305 OPD, 274 LPD) were collected from two tertiary centers. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC).

RESULTS

The overall AUC values of o-FRS, a-FRS, and ua-FRS were 0.67, 0.69, and 0.68, respectively, which were lower than those of the Western validation. Three FRS systems had similar AUC values in the overall and OPD groups, whereas ua-FRS had a higher AUC than o-FRS in the LPD group. The accuracy of ua-FRS (47.2%) was higher than that of o-FRS (39.0%) and a-FRS (19.5%) overall, but low specificity and low positive predictive value were observed regardless of the operative type across the three FRS systems. In the multivariate analysis, pathology, estimated blood loss, and body mass index were not independent risk factors for CR-POPF in the OPD and LPD groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Current FRS systems have some limitations, including a relatively lower performance in an Asian cohort, low positive predictive values, and inclusion of insignificant risk factors.

The Impact of CT-Assessed Liver Steatosis on Postoperative Complications After Pancreaticoduodenectomy for Cancer

INTRODUCTION

Liver steatosis (LS) has been increasingly described in preoperative imaging of patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of preoperative LS on complications after PD and identify possible contributors to LS development in this specific cohort.

METHODS

Pancreatic head adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients scheduled for PD, with preoperative CT-imaging available were included in the study. LS was defined as mean liver density lower than 45 Hounsfield units. Patients showing preoperative LS were matched for patient age, gender, BMI, ASA score, neoadjuvant treatment, and vascular and multivisceral resections, based on propensity scores in a 1:2 ratio to patients with no LS. The primary outcome was postoperative complication severity at 90 days as measured by the comprehensive complication index (CCI) RESULTS: Overall, 247 patients were included in the study. Forty-three (17%) patients presented with LS at preoperative CT-scan. After matching, the LS group included 37 patients, whereas the non-LS group had 74 patients. LS patients had a higher mean (SD) CCI, 29.7 (24.5) versus 19.5 (22.5), p = 0.035, and a longer length of hospital stay, median [IQR] 12 [8-26] versus 8 [7-13] days, p = 0.006 compared with non-LS patients. On multivariate analysis, variables independently associated with CCI were: LS (16% increase, p = 0.048), male sex (19% increase, p = 0.030), ASA score ≥ 3 (26% increase, p = 0.002), fistula risk score (FRS) (28% increase for each point of FRS, p = 0.001) and vascular resection (20% increase, p = 0.019).

CONCLUSION

Preliminary evidence suggests that preoperative LS assessed by CT-scan influences complication severity in patients undergoing PD for PDAC.

Surgeon-Placed Continuous Wound Infusion Pain Catheters Markedly Decrease Narcotic Use and Improve Outcomes After Pancreatic Tumor Resection

BACKGROUND

Pancreatectomy results in significant postoperative pain and typically requires opioid analgesia for adequate pain control. Local anesthetics may decrease postoperative pain and opioid requirements but can be limited by onset of action, duration of effect, and inability to titrate dosing after administration. This can be overcome by surgeon placement of tunneled peri-incisional catheters with continuous wound infusion (CWI).

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study analyzed patients undergoing open pancreatic tumor resection. All the patients received patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), enabling an objective comparison of opioid requirements, and underwent the same recovery pathway. The patients received CWI (n = 45), PCA alone (n = 11), or epidural analgesia (EA) (n = 9). The primary outcome was total opioid use in terms of intravenous morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) and patient-reported pain scores on a numeric rating scale (NRS) of 0 to 10.

RESULTS

No differences in baseline patient or tumor characteristics were observed. In both the uni- and multivariate analyses, CWI was associated with lower opioid use than PCA (MME, 83 vs 207 mg; p = 0.004) or EA (MME, 83 vs 156 mg; p < 0.001) without having a negative impact on pain scores. Furthermore, CWI was associated with a greater percentage of time that patients experienced optimal pain control (NRS, ≤ 4: 63% vs 50%; p = 0.033) and a shorter time to PCA independence (4.0 vs 4.9 days; p = 0.004) than PCA alone. In addition, CWI was associated with earlier ambulation [EA vs CWI: odds ratio (OR), 0.05; p = 0.021], improved spirometry performance (CWI vs PCA: regression coefficient (coef), 267; p = 0.013), and earlier urinary catheter removal (EA vs CWI: coef, 1.30; p = 0.013). The findings showed no differences in time to return of bowel function, antiemetic use, or hospital length of stay.

CONCLUSIONS

After open pancreatic tumor resection, CWI is safe and associated with decreased opioid requirements and improved functional outcomes without a negative impact on pain scores, supporting its potential for preferred use over PCA or EA alone.