SynthesisInternational journal of colorectal disease2019
Is a drain necessary after anterior resection of the rectum? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in International journal of colorectal disease, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04799379 (Evaluation of Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres), which is not on this map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Evaluation of Microporous Polysaccharide Hemospheres (MPH) Agent in Preventing Postoperative Complications After Rectal Surgery (EPHAS Study).
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of drains on surgical outcomes in thyroid surgery-a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Analysis of retrograde infection of prophylactic pelvic drains in rectal cancer surgery: a retrospective cohort study.Surgery today · 2026Article
- EARLY REFEEDING AFTER COLORECTAL CANCER SURGERY REDUCES COMPLICATIONS AND LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY.Arquivos brasileiros de cirurgia digestiva : ABCD = Brazilian archives of digestive surgery · 2025Article
- Effect of prophylactic abdominal drainage on postoperative pain in laparoscopic hemicolectomy for colon cancer: a single-center observational study in Korea.Journal of minimally invasive surgery · 2024Article
- Safety of early pelvic drain removal in colorectal surgery based on drainage quantity.BMC surgery · 2023Article
- Attitudes towards Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) interventions in colorectal surgery: nationwide survey of Australia and New Zealand colorectal surgeons.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2022Article
- The Role of Abdominal Drain Cultures in Managing Abdominal Infections.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Intraperitoneal drain placement and outcomes after elective colorectal surgery: international matched, prospective, cohort study.The British journal of surgery · 2022Article
- Early postoperative pain as a marker of anastomotic leakage in colorectal cancer surgery.International journal of colorectal disease · 2021Observational
- Self-assembling peptide haemostatic gel reduces incidence of pelvic collection after total mesorectal excision: Prospective cohort study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2021Article
- Revisiting the Value of Drains After Low Anterior Resection for Rectal Cancer: a Multi-institutional Analysis of 996 Patients.Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract · 2021Article
- Role of body mass index in anastomotic leakage after curative treatment for rectal cancer.Annals of Saudi medicineArticle
- Drainage Fluid Amylase as a Biomarker for the Detection of Anastomotic Leakage After Low Anterior Resection of Rectal Cancer: A Two-center Study.Cancer diagnosis & prognosisArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors at 7 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe anastomotic leak rate in colorectal surgery is highest in patients receiving anterior rectal resections. The placement of prophylactic pelvic drains remains a routine option for preventing postoperative leaks, despite increasing evidence suggesting no clinical benefit. The present study seeks to identify a consensus on the use of prophylactic drains in anterior rectal resections.
methodsA systematic search was conducted of MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases to identify clinical trials comparing the use of drainage to non-drainage in cases of colorectal anastomosis.
resultsThree randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and two controlled clinical trials (CCTs) were identified that met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 1702 patients with rectal cancer who underwent anterior resection: 1206 with a pelvic drain and 496 without a pelvic drain. Meta-analysis showed that the use of a drain did not significantly improve the outcomes of anastomotic leaks; the overall reoperation rate during the 30-day postoperative period and the postoperative mortality were statistically lower in the drained group (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.33 to 5.97; I
conclusionsThe use of prophylactic pelvic drainage after anterior rectal resections does not provide significant benefits with respect to anastomotic leaks and overall complication rates. However, an approximately threefold reduction of the postoperative mortality of the drained patients was observed. Given the limitations of the present study, these findings warrant the use of a drain after anterior rectal resection. Nevertheless, due to the low quality of the available data, further multicenter trials with uniform inclusion criteria are needed to evaluate drain usage in the anterior rectal resection.
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