Trans-drain Occlusion for Postoperative Pancreatic Fistula- A Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

The most common major complication after pancreatic resection is postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), which is defined as a drain output of any measurable volume of fluid on and after postoperative day 3 with an amylase content > 3 times the upper limit of normal serum level. Gradual withdrawal of surgically placed drains in patients who are clinically stable and tolerate a diet is generally adopted to hasten closure of POPF. For high-output fistulas (> 150-200 mL of amylase-rich fluid per day), patients are initially managed with fasting and enteral or parenteral nutrition. If fistula output decreases substantially with these measures and the patient remains clinically well, drain withdrawal is initiated and oral intake is slowly restarted. If the patient remains well despite high fistula output, drains are slowly withdrawn in an attempt to decrease the output and close the fistula. When the output decrease to less than 10 mL per day, the drains are removed.

However, the current standard practice of gradual drain withdrawal is time consuming. Although clinically stable can be discharged with the drain, the drainage tube often remains in place for a prolonged period, with patient discomfort and increased medical cost. In a pilot study by the investigators, 32.5% (37/114) of POPF patients required drainage for longer than 21 days. Besides, there is also considerable risk of recurrent fluid collection along the drain tube tract after drain removal.

The investigators' experience has shown that trans-drain occlusion of the drain tract achieves fistula closure, enabling immediate removal of the drain. In a pilot study, 20 patients underwent trans-catheter occlusion for POPFs that persisted for more than 3 weeks after placement of drainage tubes. No subjective symptoms or abnormalities in blood tests were noted in 17 patients after the procedure. Three patients had abdominal pain without signs of infection, and the pain spontaneously subsided after conservative treatment. POPF healed immediately after occlusion in all of the 20 patients without recurrence during follow-up. This multicenter, investigator initiated, prospective, superiority, parallel-group, randomized, double-blinded trial aims to compare the efficacy and safety of trans-drain occlusion followed by gradual withdrawal of drain versus gradual withdrawal of drain alone for POPF that persists for longer than 21 days.