A Simple Blood Clue: Day-3 Bilirubin Levels May Predict Dangerous Pancreatic Fistulas Post-Surgery

In a recent retrospective study published in BMC Surgery (2025), Han et al. analyzed 170 patients who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) to uncover early predictors of clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) —a major complication after surgery. While most research has focused on preoperative risk factors, this study found that total bilirubin (TBIL) levels measured on postoperative day 3, along with pancreatic texture and preoperative CRP, were strong independent predictors of CR-POPF . Notably, the day-3 TBIL showed the highest predictive power ( AUC = 0.824 ), suggesting that a simple bilirubin test could serve as a powerful early warning tool for clinicians.

To read more; Click here Could a routine bilirubin check on day 3 become the new standard for post-PD monitoring? ##Reference## Han H, et al. Total bilirubin level on postoperative day 3 in predicting…