Morbidity of colectomy during pancreatoduodenectomy: An analysis of the pancreas‐targeted American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Registry

Background Pancreatoduodenectomy is a complex operation with considerable morbidity and mortality. Locally advanced tumors may require concurrent colectomy. We hypothesized that a concurrent colectomy increases the risk associated with pancreatoduodenectomy. Methods This retrospective review of the 2014–2019 pancreas‐targeted American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry classified operations as pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) versus pancreatoduodenectomy/colectomy (PD+C). The two groups were compared with respect to demographics, comorbidities, disease characteristics, intraoperative variables, and postoperative outcomes. Main effect models were developed to examine the effect of concurrent colectomy on outcomes after adjusting for potential confounders. Results Of 24 421 pancreatoduodenectomies, 430 (1.8%) involved concurrent colectomy. PD + C patients had less comorbidities (obesity 19% vs. 27%, hypertension 43% vs. 53%, diabetes 20% vs. 26%) and were associated with malignant diagnosis (94% vs. 83%), vascular resection (28% vs. 18%), and longer operative time (median 6.9 vs. 6 h). On multivariable analysis, concurrent colectomy was independently associated with serious morbidity (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.94–3.54) but not mortality (OR 1.44 [0.63–3.31]). Conclusions Concurrent colectomy at the time of pancreatoduodenectomy significantly increased the odds of serious morbidity but did not affect mortality. This should be considered in operative planning, preoperative counseling, and sequencing of cancer‐directed treatments. Among centers participating in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, partial colectomy performed concurrently with pancreatoduodenectomy nearly tripled the risk of serious morbidity but did not increase mortality. This trend was driven primarily by an increased incidence of infectious complications.