To investigate the application value of absorbable polymer tissue sealing film in distal pancreatectomy.

The study included 49 patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy in the Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery of the Seventh Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital from April 2023 to April 2025. The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the local ethical committee approval was received. Among them, 33 patients were male and 16 were female, aged from 37 to 77 years, with a median age of 59 years. The patients were randomly divided into the sealing film group (n=24) and the control group (n=25) using a random number table. In the sealing film group, TissuePatch^TM was applied to the pancreatic stump after transection of the pancreas using a linear stapler during surgery, while the pancreatic stump wound in the control group was left untreated. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage volume, amylase level in the drainage fluid, time to flatus, duration of drainage tube placement, and postoperative length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups using the Mann-Whitney U test. The incidence of complications and other categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.

The amylase level on postoperative day 3 in the sealing film group was 488 (43-7 932) U/L, which was significantly lower than 2 933 (148-61 614) U/L in the control group (Z=-2.87, P=0.004). The time to flatus, duration of drainage tube placement, and postoperative length of hospital stay in the sealing film group were 48 (24-72) h, 8 (6-39) d, and 8 (5-15) d, respectively, all of which were significantly shorter than 72 (24-120) h, 15 (6-77) d, and 9 (5-37) d in the control group (Z=-2.39,-2.51, and -1.98; P<0.05). The postoperative complication rates in the sealing film group and the control group were 25% (6/24) and 28% (7/25), respectively, with no statistically significant difference (χ²=0.06, P=0.803). There were 8 cases of grade A pancreatic fistula and 4 cases of grade B pancreatic fistula in the sealing film group, compared with 10 and 5 cases in the control group, respectively. No grade C pancreatic fistula or reoperation occurred in either group, and there was no statistically significant difference in the clinical grading of pancreatic fistula between the two groups (P=0.832). No TissuePatch^TM-related complications, including intolerance or rejection, occurred in the sealing film group.

The use of absorbable polymer tissue sealing film during distal pancreatectomy can reduce pancreatic fluid leakage, shorten the duration of drainage tube placement and postoperative length of hospital stay, and facilitate rapid postoperative recovery.