Outcomes for minimally invasive pancreaticoduodenectomy (MIPD) were substantially better in hospitals where the procedure was performed more often, according to a study involving 865 individuals.

Participants were from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample from 2000 to 2012. Investigators looked at the relationship between annual hospital volume and postoperative complications. Among the results:

• 86% of the patients had cancer; 11% had benign conditions/pancreatitis.
• 47% experienced postoperative complications; 4% died in the hospital.
• The chance of having a complication declined as volume increased up to 22 cases per year.
• More than 8 in every 10 patients underwent MIPD at low-volume hospitals.
• Patients who had the procedure at low-volume centers saw their odds of experiencing postop complications increase by 74%.

The authors suggested protocols outlining minimum procedural volume thresholds.