Surgical Outcomes Following Early Drain Removal After Distal Pancreatectomy in Elderly Patients

BACKGROUND/AIM: The efficacy and safety of early drain removal following distal pancreatectomy in elderly patients are unclear. We aimed to investigate the short-term surgical outcomes following early drain removal after distal pancreatectomy in elderly patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven patients aged ≥70 years who underwent distal pancreatectomy at our Hospital were enrolled in the study. Data were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the short-term surgical outcomes following early drain removal after distal pancreatectomy in elderly patients. RESULTS: The incidence of pancreatic fistula following distal pancreatectomy in the early-removal group was significantly lower vs. the conventional group (p=0.022). Multivariate analysis revealed that early drain removal was an independent factor for reducing the risk of pancreatic fistula after distal pancreatectomy in elderly patients (p=0.042). CONCLUSION: Early drain removal following distal pancreatectomy is an effective and safe surgical perioperative management procedure to prevent pancreatic fistula in elderly patients.