Malignancy is a risk factor for postoperative infectious complications after elective colorectal resection

Laparoscopic Radical Resection versus Routine Surgery for Colorectal Cancer

For patients with colorectal cancer, minimally invasive surgical methods, particularly laparoscopic methods, are now the preferred course of therapy. This research is performed to investigate the effects of laparoscopic radical resection on patients with colorectal cancer. A total of 100 colorectal cancer patients treated in our hospital from January 2017 to January 2019 were enrolled. The subjects were divided into observation (n = 50) and control (n = 50) groups and treated with laparoscopic surgery and laparotomy, respectively. As well as postoperative complications and survival rates, the levels of inflammatory substances, stress response, immunological function, and perioperative markers were compared between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the postoperative exhaust time between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the observation group showed longer operation time, faster recovery of intestinal function, shorter hospital stay, and less intraoperative bleeding amount (P < 0.05). The serum contents of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, norepinephrine, adrenaline, and cortisol at 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d after surgery were significantly higher than before in both groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, the serum contents of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, norepinephrine, adrenaline, and cortisol in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). At 10 days following surgery, immune index levels had dramatically increased in both groups, with noticeably higher immune index levels in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no appreciable differences in the two groups' 2-year survival rates (P > 0.05), but the complication rate was much greater in the control group (P < 0.05). To sum up, after laparoscopic surgery, patients had fewer complications, shorter hospital stay, lower inflammatory factor expression, less stress response, better immune function, less trauma, faster recovery, and improved quality of life.

Probiotic/Synbiotic Treatment and Postoperative Complications in Colorectal Cancer Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Post-CRC resection complications and lower quality of life (QoL) are associated with a lower long-term survival. Perioperative administration of probiotics/synbiotics might lower prevalence of side effects and improve QoL and survival among CRC patients. Medline, Web of Science, Cochrane database, Embase, and clinical trials registries were searched in January 2020. Altogether, 16 randomized placebo-controlled probiotic/synbiotic clinical trials that included patients undergoing CRC surgery and investigated postoperative complications and QoL side effects were found. Meta-analyses using random-effects model were performed on data from 11 studies to calculate the effects of probiotics/synbiotics on common CRC resection postoperative side effects and complications. Perioperative probiotics/synbiotics administration was associated with lower infection incidence (odds ratio [OR] = 0.34, P < 0.001), lower diarrheal incidence (OR = 0.38, P < 0.001), faster return to normal gut function (mean difference [MD] −0.66 days, P < 0.001), shorter postoperative antibiotics use (MD −0.64 days, P < 0.001), lower incidence of septicemia (OR = 0.31, P < 0.001), and shorter length of hospital stay (MD −0.41 days, P = 0.110). The results support the hypothesis that short-term perioperative administration of probiotics/synbiotics, which are easy to administer, have few side-effects, and are low cost compared with alternatives, might help to alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms and postoperative complications among CRC patients.

Impact of anastomotic leakage on postoperative survival of patients with colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis using propensity score matching studies

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influence of anastomotic leakage (AL) on postoperative survival in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).

BACKGROUND

Although several studies have compared the postoperative survival of patients with CRC with and without AL, the background characteristics of the two groups were not aligned in most studies.

METHODS

We performed a comprehensive electronic search of the literature up to March 2020 to identify propensity score matching (PSM) studies that compared postoperative survival between CRC patients with and without AL. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and heterogeneity was analyzed using I (Akiyoshi et al., 2011) [2] statistics.

RESULTS

Four PSM studies involving a total of 1676 patients with CRC undergoing surgery were included in this meta-analysis. Among 234 patients who had AL, 163 (69.7%) survived at 5 years after surgery, whereas among 1422 patients who did not have AL, 1156 (81.3%) survived at 5 years after surgery. Background characteristics of the two groups were adjusted with PSM in all 4 studies. The result of the meta-analysis revealed a significant difference between the two groups (RR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.09-2.45; P = 0.02; I² = 66%) in 5-year overall survival (OS).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this meta-analysis demonstrate a significantly decreased 5-year OS in patients with CRC who had AL compared with patients with CRC who did not have AL.

Impact of surgical indication on patient outcomes and compliance with enhanced recovery program for colorectal surgery: A Francophone multicenter retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The impact of surgical indication on compliance with enhanced recovery program (ERP) and on outcomes has never been assessed. This study aims to assess the impact of surgical indication (malignant vs benign) on postoperative outcomes and ERP compliance.

METHODS

A multicenter nationwide database was analyzed. Patients who underwent colorectal surgery for benign disease and those who underwent colorectal surgery for cancer were compared. Inclusion criteria were elective colorectal resection with anastomosis. ERP components, postoperative morbidity, and hospital length of hospital stay data were collected.

RESULTS

Among the 6472 patients registered in the database between October 2012 and June 2018, 4528 patients were included; 2647 in the malignant group and 1881 in the benign group. The ERP compliance over 70% was not different between groups. Postoperative morbidity rate was higher in the malignant group (22.5% vs 19.3%; P = .009) but not confirmed in multivariate analysis. Patients in the malignant group were more often readmitted after discharge, 6.6% vs 4.6% (P = .004). The mean LOS was 6.3 ± 5.0 days in the malignant group and 5.4 ± 4.7 days in the benign group (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Indication for colorectal surgery did not significantly influence peri-operative management and postoperative major complications, in patients managed within an enhanced recovery program.

Prediction of anastomotic leakage after anterior rectal resection

Objective:

Anastomotic Leakage (AL) is one of the most common complications after resection of rectal cancer. Recognition of the incidence and risk factors related to AL is important. This study aimed develops a model that can predict anastomotic leakage after anterior rectal resection.

Methods:

Data from 188 patients undergoing anterior resection of rectal cancer were collected for retrospective analysis. Patients were randomly divided in the development set and validation set at a 1:1 ratio. We first included age, sex, preoperative chemoradiotherapy, tumor size, degree of tumor differentiation, stage, TNM stage, lymph vascular invasion, distance, anastomotic method, diabetes, intraoperative time, intraoperative bleeding and smoking as candidates for variable selection with a LASSO method. A ROC curve was constructed with the validation set to assess the accuracy of the prediction model.

Results:

AL occurred in 20 of 188 patients (10.6%). Preoperative chemoradiotherapy (p=0.04), medium degree of tumor differentiation (p=0.04), anastomotic method (p<0.01), intraoperative bleeding≥400ml (p<0.01), smoking (p<0.01), diabetes (p<0.01) were significantly related to AL. The area under the ROC curve of the prediction model is 0.952.

Conclusions:

This study developed a model that can predict anastomotic leakage after anterior rectal resection, which may aid the selection of preventive ileostomy and postoperative management.

Association Between Obesity and Wound Infection Following Colorectal Surgery: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this meta-analysis is to comprehensively review and quantify the excess risk of surgical site infections (SSI) in obese patients following colorectal surgery.

METHODS

A systematic electronic search of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases identified studies that investigated the association of obesity, defined by body mass index (BMI) with SSI among colorectal surgery patients.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included in the final analysis. Patients with BMI ≥30 kg/m² were at 1.5 times (pooled OR 1.51, 95% CI: 1.39, 1.63, p < 0.001) higher odds of developing SSI after colorectal surgery when compared to BMI <30 kg/m². Subgroup analysis of the eight studies that investigated only elective procedures showed that the odds of developing SSI when BMI ≥30 kg/m² is 1.6 times that of those with BMI <30 kg/m² (pooled OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.34, 1.86; p < 0.001). The odds of having SSI when BMI is 25-29.9 kg/m² are 1.2 times than those with BMI <25 kg/m² (pooled OR 1.17; 95% CI 1.07, 1.28; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Overweight and obese patients carry at least 20% and 50% higher odds of developing SSI after colorectal surgery compared to normal weight patients, respectively.

The small height of an anastomotic colonic doughnut is an independent risk factor of anastomotic leakage following colorectal resection: results of a prospective study on 154 consecutive cases

PURPOSE

The aim of this prospective study was to assess the influence of morphological characteristics of anastomotic doughnuts on the risk of anastomotic leakage (AL) after double-stapled colorectal anastomosis.

METHODS

This single-center prospective study enrolled all patients undergoing double-stapled colorectal anastomosis between December 2012 and December 2015. Maximal diameter and minimal and maximal heights and widths of both colonic and rectal doughnuts were measured by surgeons in the operating room. Their influence on the risk of AL was analyzed on uni- and multivariate models.

RESULTS

One hundred fifty-four patients were included; 92 (59.7%) were operated on for malignancy. Colorectal anastomoses > and <10 cm above the anal verge were performed in 96 (62.3%) and 58 (37.7%) patients, respectively. AL occurred in 17 (11.0%). The minimal height of the colonic doughnut (CD) was the only measurement significantly associated with an increased risk of AL (p = 0.026). A cutoff value of 4.5 mm for the CD determined on the ROC curve (AUC 0.685, p = 0.013) yielded the best sensitivity (61.4%) and specificity (82.4%) to predict AL. On multivariate analysis, a height of the CD <4.5 mm (OR 5.743, 95% IC 1.476-22.346, p = 0.012), malignant disease (OR 8.821, 95% IC 1.051-74.006, p = 0.045), and American Society of Anesthesiologists score >2 (OR 3.408, 95% IC 1.017-11.418, p = 0.047) were the only independent risk factors of AL.

CONCLUSION

The CD's minimal height influences the risk of AL. Its routine measurement during operation, along with other risk factors, could help to decide which patients could benefit from a diverting stoma or the creation of a new anastomosis.

Perioperative Standard Oral Nutrition Supplements Versus Immunonutrition in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Resection in an Enhanced Recovery (ERAS) Protocol: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial (SONVI Study)

To compare immunonutrition versus standard high calorie nutrition in patients undergoing elective colorectal resection within an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program.Despite progress in recent years in the surgical management of patients with colorectal cancer (ERAS programs), postoperative complications are frequent. Nutritional supplements enriched with immunonutrients have recently been introduced into clinical practice. However, the extent to which the combination of ERAS protocols and immunonutrition benefits patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery is unknown.The SONVI study is a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial with 2 parallel treatment groups receiving either the study product (an immune-enhancing feed) or the control supplement (a hypercaloric hypernitrogenous supplement) for 7 days before colorectal resection and 5 days postoperatively.A total of 264 patients were randomized. At baseline, both groups were comparable in regards to age, sex, surgical risk, comorbidity, and analytical and nutritional parameters. The median length of the postoperative hospital stay was 5 days with no differences between the groups. A decrease in the total number of complications was observed in the immunonutrition group compared with the control group, primarily due to a significant decrease in infectious complications (23.8% vs. 10.7%, P = 0.0007). Of the infectious complications, wound infection differed significantly between the groups (16.4% vs. 5.7%, P = 0.0008). Other infectious complications were lower in the immunonutrition group but were not statistically significantly different.The implementation of ERAS protocols including immunonutrient-enriched supplements reduces the complications of patients undergoing colorectal resection.This study is registered with ClinicalTrial.gov: NCT02393976.