Anastomotic Failure in Colorectal Surgery: Where Are We at?

Anastomotic leak (AL) can be a devastating complication in colorectal surgery. While it is less frequent in the modern era, it still results in significant morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stays and increases the costs and demands on health services. There is inevitable interplay between patient physiology and technical factors that predispose a patient to AL. Obesity, preoperative total proteins, male gender, ongoing anticoagulant treatment, intraoperative complication and number of hospital beds have been identified as independent risk factors. This has led to an online risk calculator for AL. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy have also been implicated, but no significant evidence has yet been found to support causation. In addition, technical factors such as type of anastomosis, mechanical bowel preparation, drains, omentoplasty and faecal diversion have failed to show significant differences in AL rates. Early diagnosis and intervention in AL is essential in reducing the rates of morbidity and mortality. Clinical assessment has high sensitivity but low specificity and should be used in combination with imaging techniques to get a diagnosis. C-reactive protein is also a useful marker. The management will depend on the grade of AL and the clinical state of the patient. Management options include conservative measures such as antibiotics and/or percutaneous drainage to more invasion procedures such as open drainage and/or Hartmann’s procedure. In conclusion, ALs will forever pose challenges to the surgeon in diagnosis and management. It is often the yardstick by which each surgeon is measured and is the source of significant morbidity to patients and health care services worldwide. As a result, a low threshold for investigation and intervention is mandatory to ensure better outcomes and lower overall mortality and morbidity.