Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Apr;60(4):503-7.
doi: 10.1097/MPG.0000000000000651.

Mechanical bowel preparation for children undergoing elective colorectal surgery

Jennifer H Aldrink  1 , Cindy McManaway, Wei Wang, Benedict C Nwomeh
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Mechanical bowel preparation for children undergoing elective colorectal surgery

Jennifer H Aldrink et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Objectives: Adult literature supports the elimination of mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) for elective colorectal surgical procedures. Prospective data for the pediatric population regarding the utility of MBP are lacking. The primary aim of this study was to compare infectious complications, specifically anastomotic leak, intraabdominal abscess, and wound infection in patients who received MBP with those who did not.

Methods: A randomized pilot study comparing MBP with polyethylene glycol with no MBP was performed. Patients, 0 to 21 years old, undergoing elective colorectal surgery were eligible and randomized within 4 age strata. Statistical analyses were performed using χ or Fisher exact test for categorical data and t test or Wilcoxon 2-sample test for continuous data.

Results: Forty-four patients were enrolled in the study from December 2010 to February 2013, of which 24 (55%) received MBP and 20 (45%) did not. Two patients (5%) had anastomotic leak, 4 (9%) had intraabdominal infection, and 7 (16%) had wound infections. The rate of anastomotic leak, intraabdominal abscess, and wound infection did not differ between the 2 groups.

Conclusions: MBP for elective colorectal surgery in children does not affect the incidence of infectious complications. A larger multiinstitutional study is necessary to validate the results of this single-institution pilot study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

No conflicts of interest exist for any of the authors.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Algorithm of study protocol.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Pineda CE, Shelton AA, Hernandez-Boussard T, et al. Mechanical bowel preparation in intestinal surgery: a meta-analysis and review of the literature. J Gastrointest Surg. 2008;12:2037–2044. - PubMed
    1. Slim K, Vicaut E, Panis Y, et al. Meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials of colorectal surgery with or without mechanical bowel preparation. The British journal of surgery. 2004;91:1125–1130. - PubMed
    1. Guenaga KK, Matos D, Wille-Jorgensen P. Mechanical bowel preparation for elective colorectal surgery. Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2009:CD001544. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001544.pub3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhu QD, Zhang QY, Zeng QQ, et al. Efficacy of mechanical bowel preparation with polyethylene glycol in prevention of postoperative complications in elective colorectal surgery: a meta-analysis. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2010;25:267–275. - PubMed
    1. Slim K, Vicaut E, Launay-Savary MV, et al. Updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials on the role of mechanical bowel preparation before colorectal surgery. Ann Surg. 2009;249:203–209. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances