Infection reporting in patients undergoing irreversible electroporation of locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative bile cultures (IOBCs) taken during pancreatic surgery are commonly performed and there has been limited evidence that a positive IOBC could aid in perioperative adverse event (AE) management. Therefore, this study aims to describe infection management in patients undergoing irreversible electroporation (IRE). METHODS: An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved prospective database was utilized from 8/2016 to 6/2022, with 127 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients included. RESULTS: A total of 28 patients that underwent IRE also had a simultaneous positive IOBC and the remaining 99 patients that underwent IRE had negative IOBC. A total of 11(39%) of the patients with a positive IOBC had AE's, and 38 (38%) of the patients with negative IOBC had AE's. Both groups had similar rates of AEs leading to new hospitalization and prolonged hospitalizations. Overall, there was no correlation between a positive IOBC and a patient developing an AE. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide insights that improve the infectious management of patients undergoing IRE.