Purpose: Malnutrition has been considered a risk factor for the development of a surgical site infection (SSI). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between preoperative nutritional screening scores and the development of SSI after pancreaticoduodenectomy.
Methods: We examined 64 patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy. Their clinical data, nutritional risk index (NRI), and nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS-2002) score were recorded. SSIs were diagnosed according to the definitions of wound infection established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and were confirmed by a microbiological examination. Data were analyzed using the Fisher exact probability method and a multivariate logistic regression analysis.
Results: SSIs developed in 21 patients (33 %). Eleven patients had wound infections, and 14 patients had an intra-abdominal abscess. A univariate analysis of perioperative factors revealed that a pancreatic fistula, the NRS-2002, and the NRI were significantly associated with the development of SSI (p < 0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that a pancreatic fistula and the NRI were independent risk factors for SSI. By analyzing the pre- and intra-operative factors after excluding the 11 patients with pancreatic fistulas, the NRI was still an independent risk factor for SSI.
Conclusion: The present study showed the NRI to be an independent factor for predicting the risk of SSI after pancreaticoduodenectomy.