Perioperative Antibiotic Selection and Surgical Site Infection in Elective Colon Surgery

Objectives The highest rates of surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with colorectal operations (up to 30%). A sentinel paper showed that the use of intravenous (IV) cefazolin and metronidazole was associated with decreased rates of SSI compared with cefoxitin (6% vs 13%). We reviewed the association of SSI with prophylactic antibiotic choice. We specifically investigated the regimens of ceftriaxone and metronidazole IV, cefoxitin IV, or ertapenem. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of 532 colon surgeries between 2016 and 2018. Inclusion criteria were patients 18-89 years of age undergoing elective colon surgery who received ceftriaxone/metronidazole, cefoxitin, or ertapenem for prophylaxis. All emergent cases were excluded. This resulted in 241 elective colon cases for review. The primary endpoint was to determine if the use of ceftriaxone/metronidazole decreased the rate of SSI. Results In total, there were 241 elective colon cases with 21 SSI. We compared SSI rates in the ceftriaxone/metronidazole group to those patients receiving either cefoxitin or ertapenem (4.5% vs 12.2%; P = .035). We then compared SSI in ceftriaxone/metronidazole to SSI in cefoxitin (4.5% vs 10%; P = .13). Finally, we compared SSI in the ceftriaxone/metronidazole group to SSI in the ertapenem group (4.5% vs 14%; P = .03). Comorbidities and underlying factors were similar across all antibiotic groups. Conclusion In our experience, the use of ceftriaxone/metronidazole is associated with a decreased SSI rate. Furthermore, ceftriaxone/metronidazole use is superior to the use of ertapenem, with a trend toward superiority over cefoxitin. Based on this study, we recommend ceftriaxone/metronidazole as antibiotic prophylaxis for elective colon surgery.

Prospective randomised controlled trial using the REthinking Clinical Trials (REaCT) platform and National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) to compare no preparation versus preoperative oral antibiotics alone for surgical site infection rates in elective colon surgery: a protocol

IntroductionDespite 40 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating preoperative oral antibiotics (OA) and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) to reduce surgical site infection (SSI) rate following colon surgery, there has never been an RCT published comparing OA alone versus no preparation. Of the four possible regimens (OA alone, MBP alone, OA plus MBP and no preparation), randomised evidence is conflicting for studied groups. Furthermore, guidelines vary, with recommendations for OA alone, OA plus MBP or no preparation. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) has automated data collection for surgical patients. Similarly, the ‘REthinking Clinical Trials’ (REaCT) platform increases RCT enrolment by simplifying pragmatic trial design. In this novel RCT protocol, we combine REaCT and NSQIP to compare OA alone versus no preparation for SSI rate reduction in elective colon surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first published RCT protocol that leverages NSQIP for data collection. In our feasibility study, 67 of 74 eligible patients (90%) were enrolled and 63 of 67 (94%) were adherent to protocol. The ‘REaCT–NSQIP’ trial design has great potential to efficiently generate level I evidence for other perioperative interventions.Methods and analysisSSI rates following elective colorectal surgery after preoperative OA or no preparation will be compared. We predict 45% relative rate reduction of SSI, improvement in length of stay, reduced costs and increased quality of life, with similar antibiotic-related complications. Consent, using the ‘integrated consent model’, and randomisation on a mobile device are completed by the surgeon in a single clinical encounter. Data collection for the primary end point is automatic through NSQIP. Analysis of cost per weighted case, cost utility and quality-adjusted life years will be done.Ethics and disseminationThis study is approved by The Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board. Results will be disseminated in surgical conferences and peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT03663504; Pre-results, recruitment phase.

The Financial and Clinical Impact of an Electronic Health Record Integrated Pathway in Elective Colon Surgery

Background Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) pathways have been shown to reduce length of stay, but there have been limited evaluations of novel electronic health record (EHR)-based pathways. Compliance with ERAS in real-world settings has been problematic. Objective This article evaluates a novel ERAS electronic pathway (E-Pathway) activity integrated with the EHR for patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of surgical patients age ≥ 18 years hospitalized from March 1, 2013 to August 31, 2016. The primary cohort consisted of patients admitted for elective colon surgery. We also studied a control group of patients undergoing other elective procedures. The E-Pathway was implemented on March 2, 2015. The primary outcome was variable costs per case. Secondary outcomes were observed to expected length of stay and 30-day readmissions. Results We included 823 (470 and 353 in the pre- and postintervention, respectively) colon surgery patients and 3,415 (1,819 and 1,596 in the pre- and postintervention) surgical control patients in the study. Among the colon surgery cohort, there was statistically significant (p = 0.040) decrease in costs of 1.28% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06–2.48%) per surgical encounter per month over the 18-month postintervention period, amounting to a total savings of $2,730 per patient at the 1-year postintervention period. The surgical control group had a nonsignificant (p = 0.231) decrease in monthly costs of 0.57% (95% CI 1.51 to – 0.37%) postintervention. For the 30-day readmission rates, there were no statistically significant changes in either cohort. Conclusion Our study is the first to report on the reduced costs after implementation of a novel sophisticated E-Pathway for ERAS. E-Pathways can be a powerful vehicle to support ERAS adoption.