ELECTIVE COLORECTAL SURGERY WITH OR WITHOUT MECHANICAL BOWEL PREPARATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Dr. Md. Arif Hussain; Dr. Sumit Chakravarti; Dr. Atul Jain; Dr. Gaurav Patel; Dr. Saibal Kumar Mukherjee

Volume : IX, Issue : IV, April - 2019

ELECTIVE COLORECTAL SURGERY WITH OR WITHOUT MECHANICAL BOWEL PREPARATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Dr. Md. Arif Hussain, Dr. Sumit Chakravarti, Dr. Atul Jain, Dr. Gaurav Patel, Dr. Saibal Kumar Mukherjee

Abstract :

Background– The process of prepå the colon for an elective operation has traditionally involved two factors: purging the faecal contents (mechanical preparation) and administration of antibiotics effective against colonic bacteria. Recent experience with primary repair of colonic injuries by trauma surgeons, along with reports from European surgeons describing elective operations conducted safely without the use of preoperative purging, have caused reconsideration concerning the true value of purging the colon before colonic surgery. AIM– To assess whether elective colon and rectal surgery can be safely performed without preoperative mechanical bowel preparation. Materials– All the patients undergoing elective colorectal anastomosis. Results– 42 patients were included in the study, 19 in group 1 and 23 in group 2. Demographic characteristics, indications for surgery, and type of surgical procedure did not significantly differ between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the rate of surgical infectious complications between the two groups. Wound infection, anastomotic leak, and intra–abdominal abscess occurred in 26.13%, 15.78%, and 5.26% versus 17.39%, 13.04%, and 4.34%, respectively. Conclusion– These results suggest that elective colon and rectal surgery may be safely performed without mechanical preparation