Evolution and results of the surgical management of 143 cases of severe acute pancreatitis in a referral centre

Surgery is the accepted treatment for infected acute pancreatitis, although mortality remains high. As an alternative, a staged management has been proposed to improve results. Initial percutaneous drainage could allow surgery to be postponed, and improve postoperative results. Few centres in Spain have published their results of surgery for acute pancreatitis.To review the results obtained after surgical treatment of acute pancreatitis during a period of 12 years, focusing on postoperative mortality.We have reviewed the experience in the surgical treatment of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) at Bellvitge University Hospital from 1999 to 2011. To analyse the results, 2 periods were considered, before and after 2005. A descriptive and analytical study of risk factors for postoperative mortality was performedA total of 143 patients were operated on for SAP, and necrosectomy or debridement of pancreatic and/or peripancreatic necrosis was performed, or exploratory laparotomy in cases of massive intestinal ischemia. Postoperative mortality was 25%. Risk factors were advanced age (over 65 years), the presence of organ failure, sterility of the intraoperative simple, and early surgery (7 days). The only risk factor for mortality in the multivariant analysis was the time from the start of symptoms to surgery of7 days; furthermore, 50% of these patients presented infection in one of the intraoperative cultures.Pancreatic infection can appear at any moment in the evolution of the disease, even in early stages. Surgery for SAP has a high mortality rate, and its delay is a factor to be considered in order to improve results.