Personalized pre-habilitation reduces anastomotic complications compared to up front surgery before ileocolic resection in high-risk patients with Crohn's disease: A single center retrospective study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a personalized prehabilitation (PP) before ileocolic resection (ICR) on the postoperative anastomotic complications in patients with Crohn's Disease (CD) with high risk of post-operative complications.

Materials and methods: All high-risk patients who required ICR with primary anastomosis for CD between January 2010 and March 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. PP included nutritional support, antibiotic therapy or drainage of an abscess, stopping or decreasing corticosteroid treatments. Patients were considered as high risk for complications when they had at least one or more of these 3 risk factors (RF) (hypoalbuminemia <30 g/L or weight loss of >10% over the last 6 months, treatment with corticosteroids before surgery (within 4 weeks before surgery), or presence of preoperative intra-abdominal sepsis (abscess or enteral fistula)) according to ECCO guidelines 2020.

Results: Ninety high-risk patients were included in our cohort and the anastomotic complication rate was 11.1%. Sixty-four (71.1%) had preoperative prehabilitation (median duration of 37 days), and the mean albumin level (34 g/L vs 37 g/L; p < 0.001) and the number of RF (1.21 vs 1.06; p = 0.001) were improved by PP during the preoperative period. The rate of anastomotic complications at 90 days from surgery (6.25% vs 23.1%; p = 0.031) as well as the re-operation rate (3.1% vs 19.2%; p = 0.019) were lower after PP. No difference was found on the rate of readmission and the length of stay in this subgroup analysis. Biological treatment administration within 3 months before surgery was not a risk factor for postoperative complication.

Conclusion: PP reduces the number of preoperative risk factors before ICR in high-risk patients with CD and allows primary anastomosis with a lower complication rate than in upfront operated patients.

Keywords: Crohn's disease; High risk patients; Ileocolic resection; Prehabilitation.