Spanish survey on pancreatic surgery units

Background: The technical, human, scientific and assistance characteristics of the Units that attend a complex pathology are little studied and known. Material and Methods: Multi-institutional descriptive study (survey) developed jointly by the Hepatobiliopancreatic Section of the Spanish Association of Surgeons and the Spanish Chapter of the IHPBA (International Hepatopancreatobiliary Association) on the characteristics of the Units where pancreatic surgery is performed in Spain. Results: 82 surveys were sent. 69 centres responded (84%) belonging to 16 autonomous communities. The sum of inhabitants of their own areas was 23,183,262 (50% of Spain) but as referral center they attend 95% of the population. The average number of beds per hospital was 673. The unit that performs the CP is a Hepatobiliopancreatic Surgery Unit or HPB and Liver Transplant Surgery Unit (77%). The average number of surgeons is 4.5 per Unit. Fifty-five Units (80%) lack specific anesthetists. The number of pancreatectomies performed during 2017 in the centres surveyed was 1315 cephalic duodenopancreatectomies (PD), 566 distal pancreatectomies (DP) and 178 total duodenopancreatectomies (TP). The mean number per centre was: 19.1 PD, 8.2 DP and 2.6 TP. The most frequent PD technique was performed using a classic approach, with pancreatojejunal anastomosis, one loop technique, antecolic gastrojejunostomy and using two drainages. Only 7 Units perform the PD by laparoscopy (10%) and thirteen units (18%) do not perform laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy. Conclusions: This survey provides updated information about the majority of the Units where pancreatic surgery is performed in Spain, and could also serve as a starting point for prospective multicenter studies.