This study discusses a tertiary trauma center's experience involving traumatic pancreatic injuries, focusing on identification, management, and complications, aiming to provide a valuable contribution to the literature on pancreatic trauma management.

We conducted a five year (2019-2023) retrospective analysis utilizing trauma registry data to identified pancreatic injuries in tier 1 and 2 activations. Pancreatic Organ Injury Scaling (OIS) and overall injury severity (ISS) was assessed using AAST scoring. Data was stratified by mechanism, management, associated injuries, and outcomes.

Thirty-one patients suffering firearm (48.4 ​%), stabbing (16.1 ​%), or blunt injuries (35.5 ​%) were investigated. Firearms correlated with diaphragm (P ​= ​0.047), stomach (P ​= ​0.001) and intrabdominal injury count (P = 0.0042). Robust trends were found between OIS, ISS, complication, mortality and many alike.

In penetrating injury, increasing ISS and number of intrabdominal injuries should heighten pancreatic trauma suspicion and lower the threshold for surgical exploration, particularly when involving the diaphragm, stomach, transverse colon or spleen.

Internal bleeding is a common and serious complication in trauma patients. The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) and the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) have developed comprehensive guidelines to standardize and optimize the care of these patients. In Germany, abdominal injuries are involved in around 20% of all polytraumas, often caused by falls or road traffic accidents. The liver and spleen are most frequently affected. Correct diagnosis and timely management are crucial for patient survival.

Computed tomography (CT) is gold standard to assess organ injuries, while ultrasound (fokussiertes Assessment mit Sonographie für Trauma, FAST) provides a readily available, non-invasive diagnostic tool. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for detailed soft tissue injuries. The AAST has developed a scoring system (Organ Injury Scale, OIS) to classify the severity of organ injuries. The WSES classifies the hemodynamic condition of the patient.

Spleen: Treatment decisions are based on hemodynamic stability. Unstable patients often require emergency surgery, while stable patients can be treated conservatively. In the presence of active bleeding, embolization is a treatment option. Liver: Stable patients with a positive blush (leakage of contrast medium) are treated angiographically. Unstable patients should undergo surgery with perihepatic packing and Pringle maneuver. Kidney: Conservative treatment for stable patients. Embolization is used for active bleeding. Unstable patients require surgical treatment. Gastrointestinal tract: Duodenal hematomas can be treated conservatively. Pancreatic injuries require conservative or surgical intervention depending on the severity and stability of the patient.

These guidelines aim to improve the survival and outcome of trauma patients with internal bleeding.

The aim of this retrospective study was to present six cases of trauma to the distal pancreas, highlighting the challenges associated with their diagnosis and management, while underlining their seriousness and the various complications potentially encountered. Our case series highlights individual patient outcomes, demonstrating the diversity of clinical presentations and the importance of customized treatment strategies.

Between January 2015 and December 2020, six cases of distal pancreas trauma were identified. In two cases, the diagnosis was made based on emergency abdominal CT scans, while in the other four patients, the diagnosis was made directly intraoperatively, mainly because of the severity of the associated lesions, which necessitated laparotomy for exploration.

Out of 115 cases of closed abdominal trauma, injury to the distal pancreas was identified in 6 patients, (5.2 %), with a mean age of 21 years. Despite the use of abdominal CT scans for all patients, pancreatic trauma was directly diagnosed intraoperatively in 4 cases (67 %). All patients presented with concomitant abdominal injuries (100 %), and 3 patients (50 %) exhibited multiple severe injuries. Additionally, a significant elevation in pancreatic serum markers was observed in 3 patients (50 %). The pancreatic injuries predominantly involved the tail of the pancreas (67 %), while the body was affected in one patient, and the isthmus was completely transected in another. Three of our patients developed a pancreatic fistula (50 %) and two patients (33 %) passed away; the first had severe associated lesions, and the second, despite undergoing several iterative laparotomies, succumbed to postoperative complications following a left pancreatectomy.

Closed traumatism of the distal pancreas, although rare, is a significant problem. It is often diagnosed during emergency laparotomy but can sometimes be found on preoperative CT scans. When the patient's condition permits, it is highly advisable to undergo a left pancreatectomy. Simple external drainage is reserved for certain specific situations.

Colon and pancreatic injuries have both long been independently associated with intraabdominal infectious complications in trauma patients. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of concomitant pancreatic injury on outcomes in patients with traumatic colon injuries.

Consecutive patients over a 3-year period who underwent operative management of colon injuries were identified. Patient characteristics, severity of injury and shock, presence and grade of pancreatic injury, and intraoperative packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions were recorded. Outcomes including intraabdominal abscess formation and suture line failure were collected and compared. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was then performed to determine the impact of concomitant pancreatic injury on intraabdominal abscess formation.

243 patients with traumatic colon injuries were identified. 17 of these also had pancreatic injuries. Patients with combined colon and pancreatic injuries were clinically similar to those with isolated colon injuries with respect to age, gender, penetrating mechanism of injury, admission lactate, ISS, suture line failure, and admission systolic blood pressure. Both intraabdominal abscess rates (88.2% vs 29.6%, P < .001) and intraoperative PRBC transfusions (8 vs 1 units, P = .004) were higher in the combined pancreatic and colon injury group. Multivariable logistic regression identified both intraoperative PRBC transfusions (odds ratio, 1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.15; P < .001) and concomitant pancreatic injury (odds ratio, 14.8; 95% confidence interval, 3.92-96.87; P < .001) as independent predictors of intraabdominal abscess formation.

Both intraoperative PRBC transfusions and presence of concomitant pancreatic injury are independent predictors of intraabdominal abscess formation in patients with traumatic colon injuries.

Trauma to the pancreas is rare but associated with significant morbidity. Currently available management guidelines are based on low-quality evidence and data on long-term outcomes is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate clinical characteristics and patient-reported long-term outcomes for pancreatic injury.

A retrospective cohort study evaluating treatment for pancreatic injury in 11 centers across 5 European nations over >10 years was performed. Data relating to pancreatic injury and treatment were collected from hospital records. Patients reported quality of life (QoL), changes to employment and new or ongoing therapy due to index injury.

In all, 165 patients were included. The majority were male (70.9%), median age was 27 years (range: 6-93) and mechanism of injury predominantly blunt (87.9%). A quarter of cases were treated conservatively; higher injury severity score (ISS) and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) pancreatic injury scores increased the likelihood for surgical, endoscopic and/or radiologic intervention. Isolated, blunt pancreatic injury was associated with younger age and pancreatic duct involvement; this cohort appeared to benefit from non-operative management. In the long term (median follow-up 93; range 8-214 months), exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiency were reported by 9.3% of respondents. Long-term analgesic use also affected 9.3% of respondents, with many reported quality of life problems (QoL) potentially attributable to side-effects of opiate therapy. Overall, impaired QoL correlated with higher ISS scores, surgical therapy and opioid analgesia on discharge.

Pancreatic trauma is rare but can lead to substantial short- and long-term morbidity. Near complete recovery of QoL indicators and pancreatic function can occur despite significant injury, especially in isolated, blunt pancreatic injury managed conservatively and when early weaning off opiate analgesia is achieved.

The management of high-grade pancreatic trauma is controversial.

To review our single-institution experience on the surgical management of blunt and penetrating pancreatic injuries.

A retrospective review of records was performed on all patients undergoing surgical intervention for high-grade pancreatic injuries [American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) Grade III or greater] at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney between January 2001 and December 2022. Morbidity and mortality outcomes were reviewed, and major diagnostic and operative challenges were identified.

Over a twenty-year period, 14 patients underwent pancreatic resection for high-grade injuries. Seven patients sustained AAST Grade III injuries and 7 were classified as Grades IV or V. Nine underwent distal pancreatectomy and 5 underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). Overall, there was a predominance of blunt aetiologies (11/14). Concomitant intra-abdominal injuries were observed in 11 patients and traumatic haemorrhage in 6 patients. Three patients developed clinically relevant pancreatic fistulas and there was one in-hospital mortality secondary to multi-organ failure. Among stable presentations, pancreatic ductal injuries were missed in two-thirds of cases (7/12) on initial computed tomography imaging and subsequently diagnosed on repeat imaging or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. All patients who sustained complex pancreaticoduodenal trauma underwent PD without mortality. The management of pancreatic trauma is evolving. Our experience provides valuable and locally relevant insights into future management strategies.

We advocate that high-grade pancreatic trauma should be managed in high-volume hepato-pancreato-biliary specialty surgical units. Pancreatic resections including PD may be indicated and safely performed with appropriate specialist surgical, gastroenterology, and interventional radiology support in tertiary centres.

Complex duodenal trauma is a rare injury with an incidence of 1-4.7% of all abdominal trauma. Historically, varied approaches have been used in the management of these complex injuries and the prevention of complications. This is a review of the current management methodology of complex duodenal injury.

A review of the medical literature to include the past and current management of duodenal trauma was performed. Google scholar (1970-2022) and PubMed (1970-2022) were searched using the keywords: complex duodenal trauma, surgical management, and duodenal complications.

Complex duodenal trauma can be classified using the AAST grading scale as those encompassing grades III-V. Multiple studies and review articles characterize the difficulty in managing complex duodenal injuries. The tenets of operative management of duodenal trauma include the decision for damage control, resection of non-viable tissue, restoring gastrointestinal continuity, diversion of gastrointestinal contents, bile and pancreatic enzymes, allowing the repair to heal, and providing feeding access. The variety of both historic and current approaches attempt to address these tenets. The incidence of complications are as high as 65% with the most common complications including abscess formation, suture line dehiscence and fistula formation. The overall mortality ranges from 5 to 30%.

Many different approaches and strategies have been proposed to repair complex duodenal injuries, all of which address important tenets of its management. The risk of complications remains high, therefore, it is vital to have a thoughtful and multidisciplinary approach when treating these injuries.

Pancreatic trauma is a rare but potentially lethal entity which requires a high level of clinical suspicion. Early diagnosis and assessment of the integrity of the pancreatic duct are essential since ductal injury is a crucial predictor of morbimortality. Overall mortality is 19%, which can rise to 30% in cases of ductal injury. The diagnostic and therapeutic approach is multidisciplinary and guided by a surgeon, imaging specialist and ICU physician. Laboratory analysis shows that pancreatic enzymes are frequently elevated, which is a low specificity finding. In hemodynamically stable patients, the posttraumatic condition of the pancreas is firstly evaluated by the multidetector computed tomography. Moreover, in case of suspicion of ductal injury, more sensitive studies such as Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography or cholangioresonance are needed. This narrative review aims to analyze the etiopathogenesis and pathophysiology of pancreatic trauma and discuss its diagnosis and treatment. Also, the most clinically relevant complications will be summarized.

Current guidelines recommend nonoperative management (NOM) of low-grade (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-Organ Injury Scale Grade I-II) pancreatic injuries (LGPIs), and drainage rather than resection for those undergoing operative management, but they are based on low-quality evidence. The purpose of this study was to review the contemporary management and outcomes of LGPIs and identify risk factors for morbidity.

Multicenter retrospective review of diagnosis, management, and outcomes of adult pancreatic injuries from 2010 to 2018. The primary outcome was pancreas-related complications (PRCs). Predictors of PRCs were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.

Twenty-nine centers submitted data on 728 patients with LGPI (76% men; mean age, 38 years; 37% penetrating; 51% Grade I; median Injury Severity Score, 24). Among 24-hour survivors, definitive management was NOM in 31%, surgical drainage alone in 54%, resection in 10%, and pancreatic debridement or suturing in 5%. The incidence of PRCs was 21% overall and was 42% after resection, 26% after drainage, and 4% after NOM. On multivariate analysis, independent risk factors for PRC were other intra-abdominal injury (odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.16-15.28), low volume (OR, 2.88; 1.65, 5.06), and penetrating injury (OR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.80-6.58). Resection was very close to significance (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 0.97-4.34) (p = 0.0584).

The incidence of PRCs is significant after LGPIs. Patients who undergo pancreatic resection have PRC rates equivalent to patients resected for high-grade pancreatic injuries. Those who underwent surgical drainage had slightly lower PRC rate, but only 4% of those who underwent NOM had PRCs. In patients with LGPIs, resection should be avoided. The NOM strategy should be used whenever possible and studied prospectively, particularly in penetrating trauma.

Therapeutic Study, level IV.

Background: Pancreatic trauma surgery is a complicated surgical procedure for severe pancreatic injuries, accompanied by a high incidence of complications and mortality. This study was designed to explore the long-term prognosis of pancreatic surgery because of abdominal trauma. Patients and Methods: The clinical data of 103 patients who were admitted to Jinling Hospital between August 2012 and August 2019 who had pancreatic trauma surgery were analyzed retrospectively. Results: All admissions involved pancreatic trauma surgery performed at an outside hospital network, which later transferred patients to our institution because of post-operative later-stage complications. Eight patients received American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) grade 1 or 2 pancreatic injuries and 95 received AAST grade 3, 4, or 5 pancreatic injuries. The primary surgical management of pancreatic injuries included drainage of the pancreatic injury (n = 28), repair of the pancreas (n = 35), partial pancreatectomy (n = 15), pancreaticojejunostomy (n = 6), and pancreaticoduodenectomy (n = 19). The most common mechanism of trauma was motor vehicle collision (n = 72), crush injury (n = 26), and stab wound (n = 5). Of 103 patients suffered varying degrees of gastrointestinal fistulae and intra-abdominal infections, there were 66 cases of pancreatic fistulae (64.1%), 49 cases of enteric fistulae (47.6%), 26 cases of colonic fistulae (25.2%), 14 cases of gastric or gastrointestinal anastomotic fistulae (13.6%), and 13 cases of biliary fistulae (12.6%). Ninety-five patients survived and eight patients died after therapy; the mean length of intensive care unit stay was 33 days. The number of patients who underwent emergency pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD), the incidence of blood transfusion, the number of fistulae per patient, and the duration of mechanical ventilation and bacteremia in the mortality group were substantially higher than in the survival group (p < 0.05 each). The patients who underwent EPD had more grade 5 pancreatic injuries, more blood transfusions, higher peak total bilirubin, greater numbers of fistulae and open abdomen, and longer duration of mechanical ventilation and mortality than other patients (p < 0.05 each). Conclusions: The grade of pancreatic injury was associated with mortality and post-operative complications. The post-operative mortality and occurrence of complications of EPD because of abdominal trauma were significant; use of damage control surgery could potentially reduce the morbidity and mortality related to this procedure.

Pancreatic injuries are rare, difficult to diagnose, and complex to manage despite multiple published guidelines. This study was undertaken to evaluate the current diagnosis and management of pancreatic trauma in Canadian trauma centers.

This is a multi-institutional retrospective study from 2009 to 2014 including patients from eight level 1 trauma centers across Canada. All patients with a diagnosis of pancreatic trauma were included. Demographics, injury characteristics, vital signs on admission, and type of management were collected. Outcomes measured were mortality and pancreas-related morbidity.

Two hundred seventy-nine patients were included. The median age was 29 years (interquartile range, 21-43 years), 72% were male, and 79% sustained blunt trauma. Pancreatic injury included the following grades: I, 26%; II, 28%; III, 33%; IV, 9%; and V, 4%. The overall mortality rate was 11%, and the pancreas-related complication rate was 25%. The majority (88%) of injuries were diagnosed within 24 hours of injury, primarily (80%) with a computed tomography scan. The remaining injuries were diagnosed with ultrasound (6%) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) (2%) and at the time of laparotomy or autopsy (12%). One hundred seventy-five patients (63%) underwent an operative intervention, most commonly a distal pancreatectomy (44%); however, there was great variability in operative procedure chosen even when considering grade of injury.

Pancreatic injuries are associated with multiple other injuries and have significant morbidity and mortality. Their management demonstrates significant practice variation within a national trauma system.

Therapeutic/care management, level V; Prognostic and epidemiological, level IV.

Pancreatic trauma is a rare but potentially lethal injury because often it is associated with other abdominal organ or vascular injuries. Usually, it has a late clinical presentation which in turn complicates the management and overall prognosis. Due to the overall low prevalence of pancreatic injuries, there has been a significant lack of consensus among trauma surgeons worldwide on how to appropriately and efficiently diagnose and manage them. The accurate diagnosis of these injuries is difficult due to its anatomical location and the fact that signs of pancreatic damage are usually of delayed presentation. The current surgical trend has been moving towards organ preservation in order to avoid complications secondary to exocrine and endocrine function loss and/or potential implicit post-operative complications including leaks and fistulas. The aim of this paper is to propose a management algorithm of patients with pancreatic injuries via an expert consensus. Most pancreatic injuries can be managed with a combination of hemostatic maneuvers, pancreatic packing, parenchymal wound suturing and closed surgical drainage. Distal pancreatectomies with the inevitable loss of significant amounts of healthy pancreatic tissue must be avoided. General principles of damage control surgery must be applied when necessary followed by definitive surgical management when and only when appropriate physiological stabilization has been achieved. It is our experience that viable un-injured pancreatic tissue should be left alone when possible in all types of pancreatic injuries accompanied by adequate closed surgical drainage with the aim of preserving primary organ function and decreasing short and long term morbidity.

Pancreatic trauma is associated with high mortality and morbidity, especially in main pancreatic duct (MPD) injuries. Here, we introduce a novel technique via the placement of bridge stenting-based internal drainage (BSID) along the injured MPD to restore pancreatic tissue integrity. Twelve patients with MPD injury underwent unobstructed BSID as physical support for healing. Six patients with peripheral organ injuries underwent operative end-to-end anastomosis of the MPD by using a polyurethane central venous catheter for the BSID, and the other six patients with isolated proximal MPD rupture received BSID via endoscopic pancreatic stent placement. The BSID technique was successfully performed in all pancreatic trauma patients without the need for a second open surgery. With this simplified BSID-based operation, a short procedure duration (242.7 ± 38.71 min in the surgical group and 100.2 ± 16.24 min in the endoscopic group) and a short hospital stay (13.0 ± 7.05 days) were achieved. However, a few complications (41.67%) still occurred, including pancreatitis, fistula, abscess, pseudocyst, cholangitis, and haemorrhage. Except for the deceased case, all postoperative courses were marked by decreases in the peripancreatic fluid collection, blood amylase recovery, and normal endocrine function. The BSID approach is a feasible surgical approach for the treatment of MPD injury and can be used endoscopically in isolated MPD injuries for its safety and convenience.

Objectives Despite the low incidence of pancreatic injury in the abdominal blunt trauma (BTA), its early diagnosis is very important; since pancreatic injury is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. However, due to the high association of pancreatic injury with injury of other abdominal organs, its diagnosis may be delayed and complicated. The use of imaging modalities is also subject to limitations for reasons such as cost, unavailability, and harmfulness. Consequently, the present study aimed to investigate the predictive role of amylase and lipase enzyme levels in the final diagnosis of pancreatic injury in patients with BTA. Methods In a prospective diagnostic study, 384 patients with BTA referring to Imam Khomeini hospital of Sari (north of Iran) were enrolled according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Initial patient data including age and sex were recorded. Blood samples were analyzed in the laboratory to measure complete blood count (CBC), amylase and lipase enzyme levels. Patients were followed up during hospitalization and focal ultrasound for abdominal trauma (FAST), CT-Scan and laparotomy results were recorded. Finally, the data was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results The level of amylase enzyme was significantly higher in males (p = 0.04), but the level of lipase enzyme was not significantly different between two genders (p > 0.05). The most common symptoms and signs in patients were pain, tenderness, and hematoma, respectively. The frequency of pancreatic injury in all patients with blunt abdominal trauma was 7.5% based of FAST, 7% based on CT-Scan and 12.4% based on laparotomy. Comparison of laboratory findings based on FAST, CT-Scan and laparotomy results showed that the level of amylase and lipase enzymes in patients with internal organ and pancreatic damage were higher than in patients without internal organ injury (p < 0.05). But based on FAST results; patients with pancreatic injury and injury of other organs had no significant difference (p > 0.05). However, comparison of laboratory findings based on CT-Scan and laparotomy results showed a significant increase in the level of amylase and lipase enzymes in patients with pancreatic trauma compared to patients with injury of other organs (p < 0.001). Conclusions The results of this study showed that pancreatic injury in blunt trauma is associated with a significant increase in levels of amylase and lipase enzymes. In addition, an increase in levels of amylase and lipase enzymes is associated with internal organ damage. Serum amylase and lipase levels can be used as useful biomarkers to decide whether to perform CT-Scan or laparotomy.

Post-traumatic pancreatitis can develop secondary to blunt or penetrating abdominal trauma, post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or following pancreatic surgery. Clinical findings are often nonspecific, and imaging findings can be subtle on presentation. Early diagnosis of pancreatic duct injury is critical and informs management strategy; imaging plays important role in diagnosis of ductal injury and identification of delayed complications such as retroperitoneal fluid collections, pancreatic fistula, ductal strictures, and recurrent pancreatitis. Delayed diagnosis of pancreatic injury is associated with high mortality and morbidity, and therefore, heightened clinical suspicion is important in order for the radiologist to effectively impact patient care. There are accepted scoring systems for classification of post-traumatic pancreatic injuries and these should be included in radiology reports. Pancreatitis following ERCP appears similar on imaging to other causes of acute pancreatitis unless concomitant perforation occurs. Postoperative pancreatitis may be difficult to diagnose given associated or overlapping expected postoperative findings. Postoperative pancreatic fistulas typically arise from either a leaking pancreatic resection surface or the pancreatoenteric anastomosis and are more common in patients with a "soft" pancreas. Preoperative imaging biomarkers like duct diameter, pancreatic glandular steatosis and parenchymal fibrosis can help predict risk of development of postoperative pancreatic fistula. This review will illustrate the imaging features and the most important imaging findings in patients with post-traumatic pancreatitis.

Traumatic pancreatic injury with a main pancreatic duct injury has a high incidence of mortality and requires a prompt and appropriate treatment. However, the best approach, and treatment options, which may be limited, remains controversial especially for the elderly patients. Herein, we present a case of traumatic pancreatic injury in an elderly patient for whom pancreatoduodenectomy was safe and effective.

An 87-year-old man was diagnosed with a traumatic pancreatic injury with a main pancreatic duct injury. In addition, the horizontal segment of the duodenum was largely eradicated. There were no comorbidities, and his vital signs were stable. A pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. The postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged. Pathological examination revealed a primary follicular lymphoma of the duodenum.

This case demonstrated that pancreatoduodenectomy could be performed safely for a severe pancreatic injury in an elderly patient. However, special attention should be paid to select the optimal surgical procedure. Further, this was a rare case, as initially a primary follicular lymphoma of the duodenum was suspected as a duodenal injury coexisting with a traumatic pancreatic injury because of the increased duodenal thickness.

Duodenopancreatic trauma is rare and presents high morbidity and mortality rates. Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the only possible treatment indicated for the most complex injuries (grades IV and V). Although, it is commonly a one-stage procedure, damage control surgery corroborates with a two-stage PD performed on unstable trauma victims.

Compare the mortality rate of one and two-stage PD in trauma patients.

A systematic electronic search of PubMed, Elsevier, LILACS, Scielo, and Capes was conducted on all studies written in English, Portuguese and Spanish with no restriction to publication dates. Review articles, case reports, editorials, animal studies, pediatric and non-trauma scenarios were excluded.

We selected twenty-two publications, with a total of 149 duodenopancreatic trauma victims who underwent PD, with an overall mortality rate of 42 patients (28.2%). Two-stage PD was exclusively performed on unstable patients (N = 31) with a mortality rate of 38.7%. In a sample of 79 patients submitted to a one-stage PD, 38 patients (48.1%) were unstable with a mortality rate of 34.2%. One-stage PD for stable patients had a mortality rate of 14.6% DISCUSSION: Since 1983, hemodynamic state impacts on surgery methods and strategies for trauma patients. Prior to that, one stage PD was not restricted to stable patients.

There were no differences in mortality rates when comparing two and one-stage PD in hemodynamic unstable patients, who had duodenopancreatic lesions (grades IV or V).

Duodeno-pancreatic and extrahepatic biliary tree injuries are rare in both adult and pediatric trauma patients, and due to their anatomical location, associated injuries are very common. Mortality is primarily related to associated injuries, but morbidity remains high even in isolated injuries. Optimal management of duodeno-bilio-pancreatic injuries is dictated primarily by hemodynamic stability, clinical presentation, and grade of injury. Endoscopic and percutaneous interventions have increased the ability to non-operatively manage these injuries. Late diagnosis and treatment are both associated to increased morbidity and mortality. Sequelae of late presentations of pancreatic injury and complications of severe pancreatic trauma are also increasingly addressed endoscopically and with interventional radiology procedures. However, for moderate and severe extrahepatic biliary and severe duodeno-pancreatic injuries, immediate operative intervention is preferred as associated injuries are frequent and commonly present with hemodynamic instability or peritonitis. The aim of this paper is to present the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) duodenal, pancreatic, and extrahepatic biliary tree trauma management guidelines.

Pancreatic injuries are often associated with trauma and occur most commonly in combination with other solid organ injuries. Management strategies for pancreatic injuries include conservative, endoscopic, percutaneous and surgical intervention. Literature on the laparoscopic approach to management of pancreatic trauma is rare and poorly reviewed. We describe a case report of successful and uncomplicated laparoscopic distal pancreatosplenectomy (LDP) for a patient suffering from isolated traumatic pancreatic tail transection. A literature review was performed with regards to the indications for intervention and different modalities of treatment for traumatic pancreatic lacerations. A review and comparison was also made between the scarce pre-existing reports of the laparoscopic approach to pancreatic resection in the setting of trauma. The laparoscopic approach to pancreatic resection, in the setting of trauma, can be considered as a viable alternative to open surgery. Moving forward, further studies with larger patient numbers will be needed to compare the outcomes between the open and laparoscopic approach.

Pancreatic trauma results in high morbidity and mortality, in part caused by the delay in diagnosis and subsequent organ dysfunction. Optimal operative management strategies remain unclear. We therefore sought to determine CT accuracy in diagnosing pancreatic injury and the morbidity and mortality associated with varying operative strategies.

We created a multicenter, pancreatic trauma registry from 18 Level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Adult, blunt or penetrating injured patients from 2005 to 2012 were analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity of CT scan identification of main pancreatic duct injury was calculated against operative findings. Independent predictors for mortality, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and pancreatic fistula and/or pseudocyst were identified through multivariate regression analysis. The association between outcomes and operative management was measured.

We identified 704 pancreatic injury patients of whom 584 (83%) underwent a pancreas-related procedure. CT grade modestly correlated with OR grade (r 0.39) missing 10 ductal injuries (9 grade III, 1 grade IV) providing 78.7% sensitivity and 61.6% specificity. Independent predictors of mortality were age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), lactate, and number of packed red blood cells transfused. Independent predictors of ARDS were ISS, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and pancreatic fistula (OR 5.2, 2.6-10.1). Among grade III injuries (n = 158, 22.4%), the risk of pancreatic fistula/pseudocyst was reduced when the end of the pancreas was stapled (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05-0.9) compared with sewn and was not affected by duct stitch placement. Drainage alone in grades IV (n = 25) and V (n = 24) injuries carried increased risk of pancreatic fistula/pseudocyst (OR 8.3, 95% CI 2.2-32.9).

CT is insufficiently sensitive to reliably identify pancreatic duct injury. Patients with grade III injuries should have their resection site stapled instead of sewn and a duct stitch is unnecessary. Further study is needed to determine if drainage alone should be employed in grades IV and V injuries.

Epidemiologic/Diagnostic study, level III.

Traumatic retroperitoneal injuries constitute a challenge for trauma surgeons. They usually occur in the context of a trauma patient with multiple associated injuries, in whom invasive procedures have an important role in the diagnosis of these injuries. The retroperitoneum is the anatomical region with the highest mortality rates, therefore early diagnosis and treatment of these lesions acquire special relevance. The aim of this study is to present current published scientific evidence regarding incidence, mechanism of injury, diagnostic methods and treatment through a review of the international literature from the last 70 years. In conclusion, this systematic review showed an increasing trend towards non-surgical management of retroperitoneal injuries.

Severe injuries of the pancreatic head and duodenum in haemodynamically unstable patients are complex management. The purpose of this study is to report a case of complex pancreatic trauma induced by gunshot and managed with surgical approaches at three different times.

Exploratory laparotomy was indicated after initial emergency room care, with findings of cloudy blood-tinged fluid and blood clots on the mesentery near the hepatic angle, on the region of the 2nd portion of the duodenum and at the pancreatic head. Gastroduodenopancreatectomy was performed with right hemicolectomy and the peritoneal cavity was temporarily closed by a vacuum peritoneostomy. Surgical reopening occurred on the fifth postoperative day, and the patient was subjected to single-loop reconstruction of the intestinal transit with telescoping pancreaticojejunal anastomosis, biliodigestive anastomosis with termino-lateral hepaticojejunal anastomosis with a Kehr drain and gastroenteroanastomosis in 2 planes. The terminal ileostomy was maintained. After 2 days, the patient was subjected to abdominal wall closure without complications, which required relaxing Gibson incisions and wound closure with polypropylene mesh placement in a pre-aponeurotic position closed with multiple stitches.

The patient was discharged on the 40th post-trauma day without drains, with a functioning ileostomy and with a scheduled reconstruction of intestinal transit.

In the presence of multiple associated injuries, hemodynamic instability and the need for an extensive surgical procedure such as duodenopancreatectomy, damage control surgery performed in stages as reported here enables the clinical stabilization of the patient for definitive treatment, achieving better survival results.

High-grade traumatic pancreatic injuries are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Non-resection management is associated with fewer complications in pediatric patients. The present study evaluates outcomes following resection versus non-resection management of severe pancreatic injury caused by penetrating trauma.

A retrospective study of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database was performed from 1/2010 to 12/2014. Patients with AAST Organ Injury Scale pancreatic grade III and IV injuries caused by penetrating trauma were included in the study. Demographics, vital signs on admission, Abbreviated Injury Scale per body region, Injury Severity Score, transfusion and therapeutic modality were obtained. Mortality, length of stay (LOS), pseudocyst, pancreatitis, sepsis, thromboembolism, renal failure, ARDS and unplanned ICU admission or re-operation were stratified according to injury grade and treatment modality. Patients were stratified into those who did/did not undergo pancreatic resection.

A total of 4,098 patients had a pancreatic injury of which 15.9% (n=653) had a grade III and 6.7% (n=274) a grade IV pancreatic injury. There were no differences in patient demographics or overall injury severity between the resected and non-resected cohorts within each pancreatic injury grade. Forty-two percent of grade III and 38.0% of grade IV injuries underwent pancreatic resection. The total LOS was longer in the resection arm irrespective of pancreatic injury severity. There was no significant difference in morbidity between cohorts. Similarly, mortality was not significantly different between the two management approaches for grade III: 15.1% (95% CI 11.0-19.9) vs. 18.4% (95% CI 14.6-22.6), p=0.32 and grade IV: 24.0% (95% CI: 16.2-33.4) vs. 27.1% (95% CI: 20.5-34.4), p=0.68.

Resection for treatment of grade III and IV pancreatic injury is not associated with a significant decrease in mortality but is associated with an increase in hospital LOS.

Surgery used to be the treatment of choice in patients with solid organ injuries. This has changed over the past 2 decades secondary to advances in noninvasive diagnostic techniques, increased availability of less invasive procedures, and a better understanding of the natural history of solid organ injuries. Now, nonoperative management (NOM) has become the initial management strategy used for most solid organ injuries. Even though NOM has become the standard of care in patients with solid organ injuries in most trauma centers, surgeons should not hesitate to operate on a patient to control life-threatening hemorrhage.

The management of pancreatic trauma is complex. The aim of this study was to report our experience in the management of pancreatic trauma.

All patients hospitalized between 2005 and 2013 for pancreatic trauma were included. Traumatic injuries of the pancreas were classified according to the American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) in five grades. Mortality and morbidity were analyzed.

A total of 30 patients were analyzed (mean age: 38±17 years). Nineteen (63%) patients had a blunt trauma and 12 (40%) had pancreatic injury ≥ grade 3. Fifteen patients underwent exploratory laparotomy and the other 15 patients had nonoperative management (NOM). Four (13%) patients had a partial pancreatectomy [distal pancreatectomy (n=3) and pancreaticoduodenectomy (n=1)]. Overall, in hospital mortality was 20% (n=6). Postoperative mortality was 27% (n=4/15). Mortality of NOM group was 13% (n=2/15) in both cases death was due to severe head injury. Among the patients who underwent NOM, three patients had injury ≥ grade 3, one patient had a stent placement in the pancreatic duct and two patients underwent endoscopic drainage of a pancreatic pseudocyst.

Operative management of pancreatic trauma leads to a higher mortality. This must not be necessarily related to the pancreas injury alone but also to the associated injuries including liver, spleen and vascular trauma which may cause impaired outcome more than pancreas injury.

Although surgery is the preferred treatment for grade III&IV pancreatic trauma, there is a growing movement for non-operative management. in blunt pancreatic trauma. Very few studies compare operative versus non-operative management in adult patients.

Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database was performed from 2004 to 2013 in the department of gastrointestinal surgery, NIMS, Hyderabad. Comparative analysis was performed between patients who failed versus those who were successfully managed with non-operative management.

34 patients had grade III/IV trauma out of which 8 were operated early with the remaining 26 initially under a NOM strategy, 10 of them could be successfully managed without any operation. Post-traumatic pancreatitis, Necrotizing pancreatitis, Ileus, contusion on CT, surrounding organ injuries are independently associated with failure of NOM on a univariate analysis. On multivariate logistic regression presence of necrosis& associated organ injury are factors that predict failure of NOM independently. Development of a pseudocyst is the only significant factor that is associated with a success of NOM.

Non-operative measures should be attempted in a select group of grade III&IV blunt pancreatic trauma. In hemodynamically stable patients with a controlled leak walled off as a pseudocyst without associated organ injuries and pancreatic necrosis, NOM has a higher success rate.

Pancreatic injury is an uncommon event often difficult to diagnose at an early stage. After abdominal trauma, the surgeon must always be aware of the possibility of pancreatic trauma due to the complications associated with missed pancreatic injuries. Due to its retroperitoneal position, asociated organs and vascular injuries are almost always present, which along with frequent extra abdominal injuries explain the high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to present a concise description of the incidence of these injuries, lesional mechanisms, recommended diagnostic methods, therapeutic indications including nonoperative management, endoscopy and surgery, and an analysis of pancreas-specific complications and mortality rates in these patients based on a 60-year review of the literature, encompassing 6,364 patients. Due to pancreatic retroperitoneal position, asociated organs and vascular injuries are almost always present, which along with frequent extraaabdominal injuries explain the high morbidity and mortality of these patients.

Pancreatic trauma (PT) is associated with high morbidity and mortality; the therapeutic options remain debated.

Retrospective study of PT treated in the University Hospital of Grenoble over a 22-year span. The decision for initial laparotomy depended on hemodynamic status as well as on associated lesions. Main pancreatic duct lesions were always searched for. PT lesions were graded according to the AAST classification.

Of a total of 46 PT, 34 were grades II or I. Hemodynamic instability led to immediate laparotomy in 18 patients, for whom treatment was always drainage of the pancreatic bed; morbidity was 30%. Eight patients had grade III injuries, six of whom underwent immediate operation: three underwent splenopancreatectomy without any major complications while the other three who had simple drainage required re-operation for peritonitis, with one death related to pancreatic complications. Four patients had grades IV or V PT: two pancreatoduodenectomies were performed, with no major complication, while one patient underwent duodenal reconstruction with pancreatic drainage, complicated by pancreatic and duodenal fistula requiring a hospital stay of two months. The post-trauma course was complicated for all patients with main pancreatic duct involvement. Our outcomes were similar to those found in the literature.

In patients with distal PT and main pancreatic duct involvement, simple drainage is associated with high morbidity and mortality. For proximal PT, the therapeutic options of drainage versus pancreatoduodenectomy must be weighed; pancreatoduodenectomy may be unavoidable when the duodenum is injured as well. Two-stage (resection first, reconstruction later) could be an effective alternative in the emergency setting when there are other associated traumatic lesions.

Pancreatic injuries are relatively uncommon but present a major challenge to the surgeon in terms of both diagnosis and management. Pancreatic injuries are associated with significant mortality, primarily due to associated injuries, and pancreas-specific morbidity, especially in cases of delayed diagnosis. Early diagnosis of pancreatic trauma is a key for optimal management, but remains a challenge even with more advanced imaging modalities. For both penetrating and blunt pancreatic injuries, the presence of main pancreatic ductal injury is the major determinant of morbidity and the major factor guiding management decisions. For main pancreatic ductal injury, surgery remains the preferred approach with distal pancreatectomy for most injuries and more conservative surgical management for proximal ductal injuries involving the head of the pancreas. More recently, nonoperative management has been utilized, especially in the pediatric population, with the potential for increased rates of pseudocyst and pancreatic fistulae and the potential for the need for further intervention and increased hospital stay. This review presents recent data focusing on the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of blunt pancreatic injury.

Penetrating pancreatic injuries in children are uncommon and are not well described in the literature. We report a multi-institutional experience with penetrating pancreatic injuries in children.

A retrospective review of children sustaining penetrating pancreatic injuries was performed at eight pediatric trauma centers.

Sixteen patients were identified. Eleven patients were male; (mean ± SE) age was 11.7 ± 1.2 years. The mechanism of injury was gun-shot wound in 14 patients and mean injury-severity score was 18 ± 3. All patients had associated injuries, most frequently small bowel injuries (n = 9). Patients had either grade I (n = 4), grade II (n = 7), or grade III (n = 4) injuries; there was a single grade V injury. All patients underwent exploratory celiotomy. Drainage of the injured pancreas was performed in 11 patients, and 2 patients underwent pancreatorrhaphy in addition to drainage; 3 underwent resection for grade III (n = 2) and grade V (n = 1) injuries. Thirteen patients required other intra-abdominal procedures. All patients required intensive care over a mean 11.0 ± 3.0 days. Mean duration of stay was 30.1 ± 5.6 days. Post-operative morbidity was 62.5% with no mortalities.

Penetrating pancreatic injuries in children are uncommon and most often due to firearms. There is a high association with other injuries particularly hollow viscous perforation.

Penetrating injuries of the pancreas may result in serious complications. This study assessed the factors influencing morbidity after stab wounds of the pancreas.

A retrospective univariate cohort analysis was carried out of 78 patients (74 men) with a median age of 26 years (range: 16-62 years) with stab wounds of the pancreas between 1982 and 2011.

The median revised trauma score (RTS) was 7.8 (range: 2.0-7.8). Injuries involved the body (n=36), tail (n=24), head/uncinate process (n=16) and neck (n=2) of the pancreas. All 78 patients underwent a laparotomy. Sixty-five patients had AAST (American Association for the Surgery of Trauma) grade I or II pancreatic injuries and thirteen had grade III, IV or V injuries. Eight patients (10.3%) had an initial damage control operation. Sixty-nine patients (84.6%) had drainage of the pancreas only, six had a distal pancreatectomy and one had a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Most pancreas related complications occurred in patients with AAST grade III injuries; eight patients (10.2%) developed a pancreatic fistula. Four patients (5.1%) died. Grade of pancreatic injury (AAST grade I-II vs grade III-V injuries, p<0.001), RTS (odds ratio [OR]: 5.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.46-17.19, p<0.007), presence of shock on admission (OR: 3.31, 95% CI: 1.16-9.42, p=0.022), need for a blood transfusion (OR: 6.46, 95% CI: 2.40-17.40, p<0.001) and repeat laparotomy (p<0.001) had a significant influence on the development of general complications.

Although mortality was low after a pancreatic stab wound, morbidity was high. Increasing AAST grade of injury, high RTS, shock on admission to hospital, need for blood transfusion and repeat laparotomy were significant factors related to morbidity.

This study evaluated 30-day morbidity and mortality and assessed pancreas-specific complications in patients with major pancreatic injuries who underwent a distal pancreatectomy.

Records of 107 consecutive patients who underwent a distal pancreatectomy at a Level 1 Trauma Centre in Cape Town between January 1982 and December 2011 were reviewed. Primary endpoints were postoperative morbidity and death. Complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo severity classification and the International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) definitions.

A total of 107 patients [94 men, median age 26, median RTS 7.8, 69 penetrating injuries (63 gunshot wounds, 6 stabs wounds), 38 blunt injuries] underwent distal pancreatectomy. Overall mortality was 12%, 16% for gunshot injuries, 8% for blunt trauma and 0% in patients who had stab wounds. Eighty patients had a post-operative complication. A pancreatic leak (n=26) was the most common pancreatic related complication. Median postoperative stay in 28 patients with no or grade I complications was 9 days; in 11 patients with grade II complications was 18 days; in 14 grade IIIa, 31 days; in 19 grade IIIb, 38 days; in 8 grade IVa, 33 days in 14 grade IVb, and in 13 grade V the duration of postoperative stay was 14±39.4 days.

Overall mortality for distal pancreatectomy was 12%. Pancreatic leak was a common cause of morbidity. Length of hospitalisation increased with increasing Clavien-Dindo severity grading. There was a significant difference in the duration of hospitalisation in patients with no or grade I complications compared to those with grade II-IV injuries (p<0.05).

The scope of the present study is to review the topics of initial assessment, diagnosis and clinical management of an isolated abdominal trauma.

Progress in the management of trauma patients increasing survival includes a multidisciplinary approach involving multiple specialties at presentation. If immediate surgical intervention is needed, 'damage control' is the best option; if not, it has been proven that conservative management is superior to operative, in terms of survival for the majority of intraabdominal injury. 'Open abdomen' should be performed in major abdominal traumas when indicated. Early enteral feeding is beneficial, even in the presence of 'open abdomen'.

Abdominal trauma is a complex injury; the multidisciplinary approach has made nonoperative management feasible and effective. When surgical intervention is needed, it should be performed in an orderly fashion, within the context of the overall management.

Emergent pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD) is an uncommon surgical procedure performed to treat patients with acute pancreaticoduodenal trauma, bleeding, or perforation. This study presents the experience of two university hospitals with EPD.

Clinical data on EPD in trauma and nontrauma patients from 2002-2012 were extracted from the hepatopancreatobiliary surgery databases at Thomas Jefferson University and Kaunas Medical University Hospitals. Data on indications, perioperative variables, morbidity, and mortality rates were evaluated.

Ten single-stage EPD patients were identified. Five underwent a classic Whipple resection, whereas five had pylorus preservation. Seven patients had traumatic indications for pancreaticoduodenectomy: three from gunshot wounds to the abdomen and four from blunt high-energy injuries (two sustained injuries by falling from height and two by direct assaults on the abdomen). Three cases of nontrauma patients had EPD surgery for massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The median age of the EPD cohort was 46 y (range, 19-67 y). All 10 patients were recovered and were discharged from the hospital with a median postoperative length of stay of 24 d (range, 8-69 d). There were no perioperative mortalities.

Despite a high morbidity rate and prolonged recovery, this dual institutional review suggests that EPD can serve as a lifesaving procedure in both the trauma and the urgent nontrauma settings.