For a study, researchers sought to find out how many people had surgery for ulcerative Colitis in the United States. The study looked at data from the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program database. This data includes all adult patients who had an emergency or urgent surgery for ulcerative Colitis. The study found that the number of emergency operations has been going down over time. However, more people were having surgery through minimally invasive methods in urgent and emergencies. The overall complication rates were the same for open and minimally invasive surgical procedures. A total of 2,219 patients were located. About 1,515 patients (68.3%) had surgery in an emergency or acute setting, and 704 (31.7%) in an emergency. Over time, the number of emergency surgeries decreased (from 21% in 2006 to 8% in 2018; P<0.0001), but the number of urgent surgeries barely changed (from 42% in 2011 to 46% in 2018; P=0.44). About 70% of the patients who had surgery urgently (1,058/1,515) and 22.6% of those who had emergency surgery (159/704) received minimally invasive surgery. Overall, during the study period, more urgent (38% in 2011 to 71% in 2018; P<0.0001) and emergent (0% in 2005 to 42% in 2018; P<0.0001) populations used minimally invasive surgery. Compared to open surgery, minimally invasive surgery is associated with a lower risk of surgical, septic, and overall complications. It also results in a shorter hospital stay. A study that looked at data from the United States found that minimally invasive surgery is increasingly being used for people with ulcerative Colitis who need surgery. This may be because there are now better medical treatment options and because a team approach that includes specialist doctors is being used more often.

Source: journals.lww.com/dcrjournal/Abstract/2022/08000/Emergent_and_Urgent_Surgery_for_Ulcerative_Colitis.13.aspx

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