Background: This study was designed to determine risk factors for intra-abdominal abscess after pancreas transplantation.
Methods: We performed a single-center retrospective review of all pancreas transplants from 1994 to 1999. Risk factors studied were donor age, body weight, body mass index, peak serum glucose, peak serum amylase, need for pressor agents, cause of death, cold ischemic preservation time, recipient age, type of dialysis, surgical technique, and peak recipient amylase.
Results: The 1-year graft survival rate was 90%. Of the 34 patients studied, there were 4 cases of peripancreatic abscess formation (12%). Elevated donor body weight (P <0.01), elevated body mass index (P <0.05), and the peak recipient serum amylase in the first postoperative week (P <0.01) were significant risk factors for the development of intra-abdominal infection.
Conclusions: These data suggest that pancreas grafts from obese donors may be more susceptible to ischemia-reperfusion injury resulting in abscess formation.