Current US Pre-Operative Bowel Preparation Trends: A 2018 Survey of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons Members

Background: The effect of an oral antibiotic preparation prior to colorectal surgery was first examined and exalted in the 1973 paper by Nichols et al. Since this commencement, enthusiasm for the oral antibiotic regimen has waxed and waned reflecting the literature focused on this topic over the past 40 years. Polling colorectal surgeons of define current practices has been performed at intervals throughout the years and has demonstrated a trend to decline in the practice. The most recent publication surveying U.S. practices was in 2010, which reported a minority, 36%, use of oral antibiotics prior to elective colorectal surgery; a marked downtrend from the 88% use described in 1990. Since this last survey, the colorectal surgery community has performed considerable research examining the benefit of oral antibiotic and mechanical bowel preparation. This manuscript evaluates the current use of oral antibiotics in colorectal surgery in the U.S. and how practice trends have developed in response to current recommendations in the literature. Methods: An electronic survey was created and distributed to U.S. colorectal surgeons to evaluate current opinions and practice trends. A total of 359 American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons members responded. A review of the recent literature pertaining to pre-operative bowel practices and outcomes was performed to compare with current practices. Results: A significant majority (83.2%) of respondents use pre-operative oral antibiotics routinely, and 98.6% routinely use mechanical bowel preparation. The use of a combination of parenteral antibiotics, oral antibiotics, and mechanical bowel preparation is reported by 79.3%. The most commonly employed oral antibiotic regimen is neomycin and metronidazole. The most common mechanical bowel preparation is polyethylene glycol (PEG). The most common parenteral antibiotics are cefazolin and metronidazole. There was no statistically significant difference in this practice by geographic region, Board-certified status, or practice setting. Conclusion: The majority of colorectal surgeons employ a combination of oral antibiotics, mechanical bowel preparation, and parenteral antibiotics prior to colorectal surgery. This is consistent across geographic regions, despite Board certification status or practice setting, and is reflective of the recommendations based on recent literature.