Reducing the Risk of Pancreatic Surgery

Stent-Associated Infectious Complications After Pancreatoduodenectomies Can Be Prevented by Perioperative Antibiotic Therapy

“…8,13 Pitt et al 14 demonstrated that percutaneous biliary drainage before surgery did not reduce the patient's operative risk but increased hospital costs, whereas others could show a benefit of endoscopic biliary drainage before surgery. 15 Surprisingly, retrospective data also suggested that stent-bearing patients had a significantly higher rate of pancreatic fistulas as well as wound infections, whereby the overall rate of complications was similar. 16 Even with regard to potential differences in the cohort, the rate of complications was increased in the subgroup of icteric patients receiving preoperative stents, while preoperative jaundice in general was associated with improved oncological survival.…”