Keep Them on the Table: Outcomes Are Improved After Minimally Invasive Colectomy Despite Longer Operative Times in Patients With High-Risk Colon Cancer

BACKGROUND: For high-risk patients, traditional surgical dogma advises open operations, with short operative times, to “get them off the table” instead of longer minimally invasive surgery approaches. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare postoperative outcomes in patients with high-risk colon cancer undergoing elective longer minimally invasive surgery operations compared with shorter open operations. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative cohort study. SETTINGS: Interventions were performed in hospitals participating in the national surgical database. PATIENTS: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used to identify patients with colon cancer with ASA class 3 to 4 undergoing right and sigmoid colectomy between 2012 and 2017. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thirty-day postoperative outcomes were compared between short open and long minimally invasive groups. RESULTS: A total of 3775 patients were identified as having undergone long minimally invasive right colectomy and short open right colectomy (33% open, 67% minimally invasive surgery), and 1042 patients were identified as having undergone long minimally invasive sigmoid colectomy and short open sigmoid colectomy (36% open, 64% minimally invasive). Patients undergoing long minimally invasive right colectomy had significantly lower rates of overall morbidity, severe adverse events, mortality, superficial surgical site infections, and wound disruptions, a...
Source: Diseases of the Colon and Rectum - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Original Contributions: Outcomes Source Type: research