• Kun-Lin Xie, Jun Liu, Gang Pan, Wei-Ming Hu, Mei-Hua Wan, Wen-Fu Tang, Xu-Bao Liu, and Hong Wu.
• Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreato Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37, Guo Xue Xiang, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
• Pancreatology. 2013 Nov 1;13(6):605-9.

ObjectiveTo analyze the clinical characteristic and management of patients with pancreatic injuries from the Wen-Chuan and Lu-Shan earthquakes.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 39,784 patients from the Wen-Chuan earthquake and 1489 from the Lu-Shan earthquake. The demographics, clinical data, treatment strategies, and outcomes of patients with pancreatic injuries were recorded and compared between survivors of the two earthquakes.ResultsPancreatic injury occurred only in a small proportion (0.2%) in patients with trauma on admission, and most (61%) patients had Grades I-II pancreatic injuries. Blunt trauma was the leading cause of pancreatic trauma. Most patients (95%) suffered multiple injuries, of which chest injuries (61%) were the most common. Elevated serum amylase levels were observed in 50 (86%) of 58 patients, and computed tomography (CT) identified pancreatic injuries in 32 (80%) of 40 patients. A significantly higher rate (p = 0.043) of pancreatic complication was present in patients with Grade III and IV injuries (38%) than in those with Grade I and II injuries (18%). Forty patients were initially treated by conservative management with 6 (15%) requiring delayed operations. Four (67%) pancreatic complications and 2 (33%) deaths occurred in patients with delayed operations.ConclusionsRepeated serum amylase analysis, CT, and laparoscopic exploration were reliable diagnostic modalities to diagnose pancreatic injury. Conservative management was safe in patients with Grade I and II injuries. Delayed operation, especially for Grade III patients, resulted in increased morbidity and mortality.Copyright © 2013 IAP and EPC. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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