A study published in the International Journal of Colorectal Disease has recently revealed the risks that are associated with small bowel resection in Crohn’s disease (CD) surgical treatments. This study based on data from the American College of Surgeons national surgical quality registry that covers procedures performed between 2015 and 2020.
In this study, researchers involved 2,578 people with CD who underwent open or laparoscopic surgeries. 87 people of them underwent small bowel resection. On the other hand, 5% of them underwent combined surgery that included resection and srictureplasty and 8% of them underwent srictureplasty alone. Researchers wanted to check which surgical method is effective for CD and does not increase the risk of any health complication.
When researchers observed the collected data, they found that postoperative outcomes were based on the type of surgery. They found that patients undergoing small bowel resection had longer hospital stays and a higher risk of some complications, including 44% superficial and deep wound infections and 3.5% sepsis. On the other hand, those who underwent combined surgery of resection and strictureplasty experienced longer operative times. But they did not have the same level of any complications.
This study has also revealed that small bowel resection has a significantly higher risk of postoperative wound complications as compared to other surgical methods, with odds ratios of 2.09 for combined surgery and 1.9 for strictureplasty alone. This shows a significant increase in patient risk.
Researchers also noticed that despite higher complication rates were associated with small bowel resection, 30-day reoperation and readmission rates were similar across all three surgical techniques. Additionally, patient disposition at hospital discharge was comparable. It suggests that overall recovery may not significantly differ among these surgical methods.
This study is very important as it has revealed the possible risks that are associated with small bowel resection. Hence, healthcare professionals should consider this study and should be very careful while choosing the surgical method for Crohn’s disease. There is also a need for further research to find more effective surgical methods to reduce this risk.
Reference Link:
Oguz AZ. Aras et al, Comparison of outcomes in small bowel surgery for Crohn’s disease: a retrospective NSQIP review, International Journal of Colorectal Disease (2024).
