Impact of Surgeon Specialization on Outcomes in Emergency Colorectal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Colorectal emergencies represent a large proportion of acute general surgical workload and carry significant mortality.

Objective: Identify the influence of surgeon specialization on mortality and other outcomes in emergency colorectal surgery.

Data sources: Systematic searches of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, and Cochrane electronic databases were performed for studies published from 1 January 1990 to 27 August 2023.

Study selection: Studies were included investigating outcomes in emergency colorectal surgery for adults, comparing colorectal against non-colorectal surgeon specialization. Exclusion criteria were: (1) publications studying primarily pediatric populations; (2) studies incorporating patients who had undergone surgery prior to 1990; (3) studies only published in abstract form or non-English language.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were rates of anastomotic leak, reintervention, primary anastomosis, and laparoscopic approach.

Results: Of 7676 studies identified, 155 were selected for full-text review and 21 studies were included for quantitative analysis. Eleven studies showed improved 30-day (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.60-0.68, p < 0.0001) and in hospital mortality (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.49-0.89, p = 0.007) with colorectal specialization. There was a significantly higher rate of primary anastomosis (OR 2.95, 95% CI 2.02-4.31, p < 0.0001) and use of laparoscopic surgery (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.42-4.00, p = 0.001) amongst specialized colorectal surgeons. Specialization was also associated with a significant reduction in any stoma formation (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.28-0.98, p = 0.04). No significant difference was observed for anastomotic leak (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.45-1.07, p = 0.10) or reintervention rates (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.55-1.10, p = 0.16).

Limitations: Heterogeneity exists within the included patient populations and definitions of colorectal specialization observed in different countries.

Conclusions: Emergency colorectal surgery undertaken by specialized colorectal surgeons is associated with significantly improved post-operative mortality, lower rates of stoma formation and increased rates of primary anastomosis and minimally invasive surgery.

Prospero registration: CRD42022300541.