Background

To investigate whether preoperative malnutrition in patients who underwent curative pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) in pancreatic head cancer correlated with short-term outcomes.

Methods

This study was a retrospective review of medical records from January 2004 to December 2018. Preoperative malnutrition was defined as body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2, or hypoalbuminemia with serum albumin level < 3.5 g/dL within 30 days before surgery.

Results

Of the 289 eligible patients, 60 patients (20.7%) were classified as the malnutrition group. The estimated blood loss (EBL, mL) (964.1 ± 879.7 vs 597.7 ± 501.7, P = .044) and transfusion rate (51.7% vs 18.8%, P < .001) was significantly higher in the malnutrition group than no-malnutrition group. The hospital stay (days) (20.5 ± 12.2 vs 18.1 ± 13.6, P = .05) was significantly longer in the malnutrition group. The open conversion rate (45.4% vs 6.67%, P < .001) and major complication rate (36.7% vs 21.8%, P = .032) was significantly higher in the malnutrition group. In multivariate analysis, preoperative malnutrition was found to be the predictor of postoperative complication (HR 1.971 95% confidence interval 1.071-3.624, P = .029).

Conclusion

Preoperative malnutrition in patients who underwent curative PD for pancreatic head cancer is associated with adverse short-term outcomes.