Abstract
Aims
Pre-operative oral antibiotics (OAB) and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) may reduce rates of post-operative infectious complications following colorectal surgery but their effects on post-operative ileus (POI) are not well-established. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to address this question.
Methods
Medline and Embase databases were searched to identify randomised controlled trials and cohort studies comparing pre-operative MBP or OAB to control in patients undergoing elective colorectal resection and reporting the rate of POI as an outcome. Risk ratios were pooled using a random-effects model to generate a summary risk ratio and 95% confidence interval.
Results
Five randomised trials and three cohort studies were included which reported the effect of pre-operative MBP on POI. Some 29056 patients received MBP compared to 13077 who did not. The rates of POI were 10.0% vs 12.0% respectively. Meta-analysis gave a risk ratio of 0.85 (0.80-0.91, p < 0.0001) for the development of POI with MBP versus control. Four randomised trials and four cohort studies were included which reported the effect of pre-operative OAB on POI. Some 9.5% of 19,903 patients receiving OAB developed POI compared to 11.8% of 23,884 control patients. The pooled risk ratio for the development of POI with OAB compared to control was 0.86 (0.81-0.91, p < 0.0001). However, when limiting analyses to randomised trials alone, neither MBP (RR 1.13, 0.67-1.90) nor OAB 1.01, 0.75-1.35) had a significant effect on the rate of POI.
Conclusions
Pre-operative MBP or OAB may reduce POI following colorectal resection but this has not been confirmed in randomised trials.
Preoperative mechanical bowel preparation in elective colorectal surgery: an update of systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis
