Lily Liu (Medicine) secured 2nd place at the 26th Annual Graduate & Professional Student Research Forum at UNLV for her study, "Investigating The Use of Open vs. Endoscopic Drainage for Pancreatic Pseudocyst Among Adults: A 2017-2020 National Inpatient Sample Study," in collaboration with Camryn Schroeder (Medicine), and physicians Renuka Verma, Kamleshun Ramphul, and Banreet Singh Dhindsa.

Utilizing the United States' largest in-patient database, the team compared patient outcomes between open and endoscopic drainage for pancreatic pseudocysts (PP), collections often linked to pancreatitis. Analyzing patients aged ≥18 with PP from 2017 to 2020, the study focused on those receiving open or endoscopic drainage. Among 8125 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 6550 underwent endoscopic and 1575 open drainage. The study found open drainage associated with increased risks of severe sepsis, mechanical ventilation need, peritoneal abscesses, acute peritonitis, higher mortality, and longer hospital stays compared to endoscopic drainage, which showed lower adverse outcomes and mortality. These findings highlight the shift towards minimally invasive techniques, underscoring their advantages in PP management and the importance of selecting the appropriate drainage method based on patient characteristics.