OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary embolism (PE) after major abdominal surgery is a serious and potentially lethal complication. The purpose of the present study was to identify risk factors for postoperative PE after pancreas resection.
METHODS: Our prospective database for pancreatic surgery was retrospectively analyzed for patients treated between January 2006 and August 2012 in a tertiary care Swiss hospital. Risk factors for PE were identified in univariate and multivariate analyses that included preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables.
RESULTS: Among 251 patients, 187 underwent pancreato-duodenectomy (PD), 62 underwent distal pancreatectomy, and 2 underwent other types of pancreas resections. PE was diagnosed in 13 patients (7.0%) after PD and none after other procedures. Compared with the non-PE group, the PE group had higher body mass indices (≥25 kg/m, P = 0.04), longer median operation times (P = 0.009), higher rates of severe abdominal complications (P < 0.001), longer median intensive care unit stays (P = 0.003), and longer hospital stays (P = 0.01). Multivariate analyses identified the following independent predictors for PE: a history of thromboembolic events (odds ratio [OR], 22.3), prolonged operation time (OR, 5.76), and major abdominal complications (OR, 10.8).
CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged operation times and major postoperative abdominal complications were strong risk factors for PE after PD, in both univariate and multivariate analyses.