Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of positive bacterial cultures of the drainage fluid (D-cultures) during the early postoperative period on the incidence of intra-abdominal abscess formation following gastrectomy.
Methods: From January 2012 to June 2013, we prospectively performed D-cultures on postoperative day (POD) 1 in consecutive gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy. The univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for intra-abdominal abscess formation without anastomotic leakage.
Results: The rate of positive D-cultures was 6.4 % on POD 1. According to a univariate analysis, the use of combined organ resection (P = 0.011), the drain amylase level on POD 1 (P = 0.016) and the D-culture status on POD 1 (P = 0.004) were found to be significantly associated with the incidence of intra-abdominal abscesses. A multivariate analysis demonstrated that D-culture positivity on POD 1 was the only independent predictor of intra-abdominal abscess formation (P = 0.011).
Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that bacterial culture positivity of drainage fluid during the early postoperative period has a significant impact on the development of intra-abdominal abscesses after gastrectomy.