Clinical characteristics and risk factors of post-operative intestinal flora disorder following laparoscopic colonic surgery: A propensity-score-matching analysis

Abstract

BACKGROUND Intestinal flora disorder (IFD) poses a significant challenge after laparoscopic colonic surgery, and no standard criteria exists for its diagnosis and treatment. AIM To analyze the clinical features and risk factors of IFD. METHODS Patients with colon cancer receiving laparoscopic surgery were included using propensity-score-matching (PSM) methods. Based on the occurrence of IFD, patients were categorized into IFD and non-IFD groups. The clinical characteristics and treatment approaches for patients with IFD were analyzed. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of IFD. RESULTS The IFD incidence after laparoscopic surgery was 9.0% (97 of 1073 patients). After PSM, 97 and 194 patients were identified in the IFD and non-IFD groups, respectively. The most common symptoms of IFD were diarrhea and abdominal, typically occurring on post-operative days 3 and 4. All patients were managed conservatively, including modulation of the intestinal flora (90.7%), oral/intravenous application of vancomycin (74.2%), and insertion of a gastric/ileus tube for decompression (23.7%). Multivariate regression analysis identified that pre-operative intestinal obstruction [odds ratio (OR) = 2.79, 95%CI: 1.04–7.47, P = 0.041] and post-operative antibiotics (OR = 8.57, 95%CI: 3.31–23.49, P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for IFD, whereas pre-operative parenteral nutrition (OR = 0.12, 95%CI: 0.06–0.26, P < 0.001) emerged as a protective factor. CONCLUSION A stepwise approach of probiotics, vancomycin, and decompression could be an alternative treatment for IFD. Special attention is warranted post-operatively for patients with pre-operative obstruction or early use of antibiotics.