ACS NSQIP participation demonstrates sustained benefits in colorectal surgical outcomes

Editor's Note

Most complications of colorectal resection steadily decreased and early hospital discharges increased over 10 years of participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP), finds this study presented October 24 at the American College of Surgeons 2018 Clinical Congress in Boston.

Of 310,632 colorectal resections analyzed from 2007 to 2016, researchers found significant reductions in the first postoperative month for:

• surgical site and urinary tract infections
• sepsis and septic shock
• venous thromboembolism
• respiratory complications
• need for reoperations
• deaths.

Surgical site infections decreased from 13.7% to 4.7%, and nearly half (47%) of colorectal surgical patients went home in less than 5 days in 2016 versus 8% in 2007.

The researchers recommend that patients considering colorectal surgery ask their surgeons if they participate in ACS NSQIP.