Minimally Invasive Surgery is Associated with Improved Outcomes Following Urgent Inpatient Colectomy.

Objectives: The use of minimally invasive techniques for urgent colectomies remains understudied. This study compares short-term outcomes following urgent minimally invasive colectomies to those following open colectomies. Methods & Procedures: The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) colectomy database was queried between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2018. Patients who underwent elective and emergency colectomies, based on the respective NSQIP variables, were excluded. The remaining patients were divided into two groups, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) and open. MIS colectomies with unplanned conversion to open were included in the MIS group. Baseline characteristics and 30-day outcomes were compared using univariable and multivariable regression analyses. Results: A total of 29,345 patients were included in the study; 12,721 (43.3%) underwent MIS colectomy, while 16,624 (56.7%) underwent open colectomy. Patients undergoing MIS colectomy were younger (60.6 vs 63.8 years) and had a lower prevalence of either American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) IV (9.9 vs 15.5%) or ASA V (0.08% vs 2%). After multivariable analysis, MIS colectomy was associated with lower odds of mortality (odds ratio = 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.61, 0.91 95% confidence interval), and most short-term complications recorded in the ACS NSQIP. While MIS colectomies took longer to perform (161 vs 140 min), the length of stay was shorter (12.2 vs 14.1 days). Conclusions: MIS colectomy affords better short-term complication rates and a reduced length of stay compared to open colectomy for patients requiring urgent surgery. If feasible, minimally invasive colectomy should be offered to patients necessitating urgent colon resection.

Laparoscopic Colectomy for Acute Diverticulitis in the Urgent Setting is Associated with Similar Outcomes to Open.

PURPOSE/BACKGROUND: The role of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for the surgical treatment of diverticular disease is evolving. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of MIS colectomy to those of open surgery for patients with acute diverticulitis requiring urgent surgery. METHODS: The American college of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project database was queried for all patients undergoing an urgent colectomy for acute diverticulitis between 2013 and 2018. The patients were then divided into 2 groups: MIS and open. Baseline characteristics and short-term outcomes were compared using univariable and multivariable regression analyses. RESULTS/OUTCOMES: 3487 patients were included in the analysis. Of these, 1272 (36.5%) underwent MIS colectomy and 2215 (63.5%) underwent open colectomy. Patients undergoing MIS colectomy were younger (58.7 vs 61.9 years) and less likely to be American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification (ASA) III (52.5 vs 57.9%) or IV (6.3 vs 10.5%). After adjusting for baseline differences, the odds of mortality for MIS and open groups were similar. While there was no difference in short-term complications between groups, the odds of developing an ileus were lower following MIS colectomy (OR .61, 95% CI: .49, .76). Both total length of stay (LOS) (12.3 vs 13.9 days) and post-operative LOS (7.6 days vs 9.5 days) were shorter for MIS colectomy. Minimally invasive surgery colectomy added an additional 40 minutes of operative time (202.2 vs 160.1 min). CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION: Minimally invasive surgery colectomy appears to be safe for patients requiring urgent surgical management for acute diverticulitis. Decreased incidence of ileus and shorter LOS may justify any additional operative time for MIS colectomy in suitable candidates.