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Risks of the Whipple Procedure

A pancreaticoduodenectomy is a form of surgery better known as the Whipple procedure after the man who perfected it: Dr. Allan Whipple. Involving multiple organs, it is only performed when there are no other alternatives and carries with it risks that patients should carefully consider.

  1. The Facts

    • The Whipple procedure is a complex, major surgery. It is performed to treat pancreatic cancer or chronic pancreatitis. When a surgeon performs it because of cancer, she will remove about half of the pancreas, the beginning portion of the small intestine, all of the gallbladder, some of bile duct and occasionally a small portion of the stomach. It is the only potential cure for pancreatic cancer, but because it is so complicated, the Whipple procedure has some serious risks.

    Surgical Complications

    • When a surgeon performs the Whipple procedure he operates on several major organs. This increases the risk of surgical complications when the procedure is over. There is a danger of bleeding internally and from incisions. A patient also runs the risk of experiencing internal leakage, both biliary and pancreatic. As with other surgeries, there is also the danger of an adverse reaction to anesthesia during the procedure and the risk of infection afterward while recovering in the hospital.

    Blood Sugar

    • During the Whipple procedure, approximately half a patient's pancreas is removed. This can have a dramatic effect on the organ's function. The pancreas may no longer be able to control the body's blood sugar levels. This leads to the risk of developing post-operative diabetes and requiring insulin. Patients also risk developing fatty stools after the procedure.

    Mortality

    • The Whipple procedure is a delicate, complicated surgery. Because it involves so many different organs and removals of large parts of some of them, there is a risk of mortality for the patient beyond that of other less complex surgeries. Surgical complications that arise from the Whipple procedure, like internal leakage at organ connections, can require surgery to repair them. A second surgery increases a patient's mortality risk.

    Other Risks

    • There are other risks associated with the Whipple procedure. Any time a person needs to take medication there is a risk of having an adverse reaction to it. Patients require pain medication and sometimes antibiotics after undergoing the Whipple procedure. There is a risk that a person may need to use a feeding tube to get nutrition while recovering from surgery. Patients who have undergone the surgery are also at an increased risk to contract pneumonia. They are also at risk for developing heart disease.

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