Outcomes After Bowel Resection for Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Era of Surgical Care Bundles and Enhanced Recovery

Objective: To compare 30-day postoperative complications in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergoing colorectal resection before and after implementation of a hospital-wide surgical care bundle (SCB) to prevent surgical site infection (SSI) followed by enhanced recovery protocol (ERP). Background: Perioperative SCBs to prevent SSI after colectomy have evolved to include ERPs demonstrating reduced rates of SSI, ileus, and length of stay in colorectal surgical patients. IBD patients often present with more risk factors for postoperative complication like malnutrition or immunosuppression, and the impact of SCBs and ERPs in this population is understudied. Methods: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients undergoing elective bowel resection at a tertiary-level referral center from 2013 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated. Postoperative complications at 30 days including SSI, ileus, and anastomotic leak were compared between pre-SCB/ERP, post-SCB, and post-SCB + ERP time periods using institutional ACS-NSQIP data. Pediatric (age < 18 years) and emergent cases were excluded. Results: Out of 977 patients, 224 were pre-SCB/ERP, 517 post-SCB, and 236 post-SCB + ERP. Gender (P = 0.01), race (P = 0.02), body mass index (P = 0.04), immunosuppressant use (P = 0.01), wound classification (P < 0.001), malnutrition (P < 0.001), duration of procedure (P = 0.04), and procedure performed (P = 0.01) were significantly different between the three cohorts. A significant decrease in the rates of SSI (14.7% to 5.5%), ileus (20.1% to 8.9%), and anastomotic leak (4.7% to 0.0%) was demonstrated after implementation of SCB and ERP (P ≤ 0.01). On multivariable regression, the risk for postoperative SSI and ileus decreased significantly post-SCB + ERP (OR 0.39, CI 0.19–0.82 and OR 0.45, CI 0.24–0.84, respectively). Conclusion: SCB and ERP implementation was associated with decreased rates of postoperative SSI, ileus, and anastomotic leak for IBD patients undergoing elective bowel resection.