Comparing the Enzyme Replacement Therapy Cost in Post Pancreatectomy Patients Due to Pancreatic Tumor and Chronic Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND Among late postoperative complications of pancreatectomy are the exocrine and endocrine pancreatic insufficiencies. The presence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency imposes, as standard treatment, pancreatic enzyme replacement. Patients with chronic pancreatitis, with intractable pain or any complications with surgical treatment, are likely to present exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or have this condition worsened requiring adequate dose of pancreatic enzymes. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to compare the required dose of pancreatic enzyme and the enzyme replacement cost in post pancreatectomy patients with and without chronic pancreatitis. METHODS Observational cross-sectional study. In the first half of 2015 patients treated at the clinic of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, who underwent pancreatectomy for at least 6 months and in use of enzyme replacement therapy were included in this series. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of chronic pancreatitis prior to pancreatic surgery. For this study, P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS The annual cost of the treatment was R$ 2150.5 ± 729.39; R$ 2118.18 ± 731.02 in patients without pancreatitis and R$ 2217.74 ± 736.30 in patients with pancreatitis. CONCLUSION There was no statistically significant difference in the cost of treatment of enzyme replacement post pancreatectomy in patients with or without chronic pancreatitis prior to surgical indication.