Pancreaticoduodenectomy for trauma: a life-saving procedure.

The purpose of this report is to examine our experience with pancreaticoduodenectomy for trauma in a community trauma center. Five patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for severe combined injury to the pancreas and duodenum from July 1980 to December 1986. All five patients survived. The average age of the patients was 29 years. Four patients sustained blunt trauma and one sustained penetrating trauma. The average length of operation was 5 hours. There was an average of two injured organs per patient in addition to pancreatic and duodenal injuries. The average hospital stay was 24 days. Two patients had postoperative complications requiring reoperation. All patients were discharged tolerating oral feedings without the need for insulin or pancreatic exocrine supplements. This report confirms the utility of pancreaticoduodenectomy for severe combined pancreatic and duodenal trauma.