Photo Credit: mku018

For patients undergoing open or laparoscopic resection of the small bowel or strictureplasty for Crohn’s disease, small bowel resection is associated with the longest length of stay and increased odds of postoperative wound complications, according to a study published in the International Journal of Colorectal Disease. The study authors queried the American College of Surgeons national surgical quality registry database between 2015 and 2020 for all patients undergoing open or laparoscopic resection of small bowel or strictureplasty for Crohn’s disease. The study included 2,578 patients: 87% underwent small bowel resection, 5% underwent resection with strictureplasty, and 8% underwent strictureplasty alone. Combined surgery (resection plus strictureplasty) was associated with the longest operative time. Patients undergoing small bowel resection had the longest length of hospital stay, highest incidence of superficial/deep wound infection (44%), and highest incidence of sepsis (3.5%). Compared with combined surgery and strictureplasty, small bowel resection was associated with higher odds of wound complication (OR, 2.09 and 1.9, respectively).