Complications after pancreatic surgery are common and can be life-threatening. One of the most serious yet common complications is postoperative pancreatic fistula. This condition is diagnosed based on increased concentrations of the pancreatic enzyme alpha-amylase in drainage secretions. Currently, the analysis of these enzymes is routinely conducted on the first and third postoperative day. Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the University Hospital Dresden (UKD) now report in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics on the development of a portable device that can carry out the enzyme determination continuously and in real time.