Incidence of Anastomotic Leaks After Colorectal Surgeries Using Hospital Episode Statistics in the United Kingdom

Abstract

by colostomy, 0.9% by image guided drainage, 0.7% by washout, 0.62% by abscess, 0.42% by re-anastomsis, and 0.01% by stent. Patients with leaks tended to be slightly younger and male, had higher Charlson Co-morbidity Index, and more likely admitted through emergency vs. elective surgery (p< 0.05). ConClusions: Our study indicated an incidence rate of 6.38% for post-operative anastomotic leaks among patients undergoing colorectal surgeries in UK, compared to 6.18% leak rate seen in the US study. The results highlight the importance of future study in evaluating the impact of anastomotic leaks on patient's clinical and economic outcomes in UK.