A retrospective comparative study on optional timing of removal of abdominal drains after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy based on the enhanced recovery after surgery concept versus conventional practice / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To study the optional timing of removal of abdominal drains after laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) based on the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) concept versus conventional practice.Methods:The clinical data of patients who underwent LPD at the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University and the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Of 127 patients included in this study, there were 74 males and 53 females, with age of (58.68±8.65) years old. Then patients were divided into two groups according to the timing of removal of abdominal drains based on the ERAS concept (the ERAS group, n=61), and conventional clinical practice (the control group, n=66). The abdominal drains in the ERAS group was removed based on 2 criteria: (1) no discharge of bile, gastrointestinal contents, pus, and active bleeding in the abdominal drains on the first day after operation; (2) amylase in abdominal drainage fluid was less than 5 000 U/L on the first day after operation. The abdominal drains in the control group was removed after meeting the following criteria: (1) no discharge of bile, gastrointestinal contents, pus, and active bleeding in the abdominal drains; (2) from the first day after operation, amylase levels in the drain fluid was measured once everyday, and the concentrations of the amylase were less than 5 000 U/L for 2 consecutive days; (3) the volume of drainage was less than 100 ml/24 h. The postoperative recovery and other clinical data of the two groups were also compared. Results:LPD was successfully performed in the 2 groups, and there was no perioperative death. The timing of removal of abdominal drains [1 vs. 7(5, 9) d], the first passage of flatus [3(2, 4) vs. 3(3, 5) d] and the postoperative hospital stay [14(10, 18) vs. 17(14, 22) d] in the ERAS group were significantly shorter than the control group, and the hospitalization cost was also significantly less [10.33(9.64, 11.52) vs. 11.22(10.38, 13.58) wan yuan] (all P<0.05). Conclusion:The ERAS concept in guiding the timing of removal of abdominal drains after LPD was safe and feasible. The enhanced recovery after surgery concept is worthy of further promotion and application.