Monitoring after pancreatic surgery through real-time diagnosis

The conventional diagnosis is made by examining the digestive enzyme alpha-amylase in the drainage secretions. However, this analysis is only carried out on the first and third day after the operation, which can lead to delays in treatment.

The team at the HZDR and UKD has developed a portable millifluidic device that can monitor alpha-amylase activity continuously and in real time. Their new technology was presented in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

The device uses microfluidic droplets to reduce the time between sampling and readout to one to two minutes.

To accurately measure alpha-amylase activity, a special fluorescent dye is used. This dye reacts to the presence of alpha-amylase and shows increased fluorescence when the concentration of the enzyme increases. This means that the higher the concentration of alpha-amylase in the drainage secretion, the more intensely the dye glows.

By measuring the intensity of the fluorescence, the researchers can quickly and precisely determine whether a post-operative pancreatic fistula is present. This method enables a rapid response and early treatment of complications following pancreatic surgery.

The new device was successfully tested on patients undergoing pancreatic surgery and demonstrated a high level of reliability. The researchers believe that their method could become the standard for post-operative monitoring of patients in the future.

“Our method shortens the alpha-amylase determination period from six hours to approximately two minutes and enables real-time monitoring of the amylase activity. Furthermore, our droplet-based millifluidic device can be conveniently positioned at the patient’s bedside,” explains Dr. Larysa Baraban at the HZDR Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research.  “This allows complications to be detected more quickly and appropriate therapies to be initiated.” The researchers are also planning to expand the technology to analyze various body fluids and diseases.

MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf