What are the sequelae of pancreatic cancer surgery

In cancer treatment, no matter what kind of cancer it is, it may lead to unpredictable sequelae and complications. Pancreatic cancer is also an example. In order to effectively prevent the occurrence of complications after pancreatic cancer surgery and to correctly and promptly deal with them after they occur, we must understand the key points of these symptoms. So, what are the sequelae of pancreatic cancer surgery? Let's take a closer look.

1. Pancreatic fistula: It is often fatal and the most common complication after pancreatectomy. It usually occurs 5 to 7 days after surgery. The patient has abdominal distension, abdominal pain, high fever, and increased abdominal drainage fluid. If the amylase level in the abdominal drainage fluid increases, it can be determined as pancreatic fistula. Generally, non-surgical treatment is used because surgery is difficult to repair. Different digestive tract reconstruction methods are of great significance in preventing the occurrence of pancreatic fistula.

2. Intra-abdominal infection: It is a serious complication, mostly caused by pancreatic fistula, biliary fistula or peritoneal bleeding combined with infection. It may cause abdominal pain, high fever, physical exhaustion, anemia, hypoproteinemia, etc. Strengthen systemic supportive treatment and use highly effective broad-spectrum antibiotics.

3. Gastrointestinal bleeding: Early postoperative bleeding may be due to incomplete hemostasis of the gastric mucosa or coagulation dysfunction. Bleeding about 1 week after surgery is often considered to be stress ulcer bleeding, which can be treated as stress ulcer bleeding. Antacids are routinely used in the early postoperative period.

4. Intraperitoneal bleeding: divided into primary and secondary types. Primary bleeding often occurs in the early stage of surgery, mostly fresh blood flows out from the drainage tube, mostly due to incomplete hemostasis or coagulation dysfunction during surgery; close observation, immediate infusion and blood transfusion, and application of hemostatic drugs should be performed. If the condition does not improve, laparotomy should be performed immediately. Secondary bleeding often occurs 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, mostly due to pancreatic fistula pancreatic fluid flowing into the abdominal cavity, digestion and corrosion of surrounding tissues, and non-surgical treatment should be actively adopted; if there is active bleeding, angiography can be considered, but sometimes it is still difficult to find the bleeding site, and surgical hemostasis is often difficult to succeed, so a cautious attitude should be taken. Primary bleeding can also occur at the resection edge of the pancreas or jejunum, mainly due to incomplete hemostasis during surgery, resulting in local bleeding and hematoma formation after surgery. Hematoma compression further causes poor blood flow to the anastomosis, resulting in anastomotic fistula or pancreatic fistula, so local bleeding is often associated with various fistulas, and the drainage tube should be closely observed. If there is persistent bleeding, surgery should be performed again immediately. Prevention mainly relies on thorough hemostasis during surgery. In addition, biological protein glue can be applied to the pancreatic stump and around the anastomosis to stop bleeding and provide adequate adhesion.

5. Biliary fistula: It rarely occurs. Once it occurs, it can usually be cured by unobstructed drainage. Patients with poor drainage and peritoneal irritation signs should undergo surgical exploration.

What we should understand is that pancreatic cancer is an incurable disease. Once it occurs, the patient will experience different symptoms. In order to avoid increasing the patient's pain, experts still recommend maintaining healthy living habits in daily life and avoiding biliary tract diseases or digestive system diseases.