Towards safer colorectal surgery worldwide : Outcomes and benchmarks from the ESCP CORREA 2022 audit
(2025) In Colorectal Disease 27(11).- Abstract
Introduction: Benchmarking colorectal surgery outcomes informs quality improvement. The ESCP CORREA 2022 snapshot audit aimed to assess contemporary colorectal resection practices and short-term outcomes across European countries and beyond. Methods: An international prospective multicentre audit was conducted in which adults undergoing elective or emergency colorectal resection during a 6-week period (January–April 2022) at participating hospitals were included. Data on patient demographics, indications, surgical approach (open, laparoscopic or robotic) and 30-day postoperative outcomes (complications, reoperation and mortality) were collected for analysis. The outcomes were analysed and compared with those of previous audits to... (More)
Introduction: Benchmarking colorectal surgery outcomes informs quality improvement. The ESCP CORREA 2022 snapshot audit aimed to assess contemporary colorectal resection practices and short-term outcomes across European countries and beyond. Methods: An international prospective multicentre audit was conducted in which adults undergoing elective or emergency colorectal resection during a 6-week period (January–April 2022) at participating hospitals were included. Data on patient demographics, indications, surgical approach (open, laparoscopic or robotic) and 30-day postoperative outcomes (complications, reoperation and mortality) were collected for analysis. The outcomes were analysed and compared with those of previous audits to identify trends in colorectal surgery. Results: The study enrolled 3521 patients (56.8% men) from 216 hospitals across 53 countries. In 72.2% of the cases, the indication for resection was malignancy, followed by diverticular disease in 9.0%, Crohn's disease in 3.7% and ulcerative colitis in 2.3% of the cases. Of the surgeries, 74.4% were elective. Minimally invasive surgery was performed in 55.2% of the cases (48.7% laparoscopic and 6.5% robotic). Primary anastomosis was performed in 90.3% of the patients. The 30-day anastomotic leak rate was 7.96%; in malignant and benign diseases, the leak rates were 7.3% and 10.2%, respectively. The leak rates for right, left, anterior rectal resection, pouch and subtotal colectomy were 6.9%, 7.7%, 9.7%, 16.0% and 11.8%, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, the risk factors for leakage included male sex (9.3% vs. 6.3%, OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.51–0.95, p = 0.023) and emergency surgery (11.4% vs. 7.1%, OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.10–2.27, p = 0.013). Thirty-day mortality was 2.38%. Conclusions: This large international audit provides the status of the management of colorectal surgery. This shows that minimally invasive techniques are widely adopted, and 30-day mortality is low; however, anastomotic leak rates remain persistently high. These findings highlight the ongoing need for targeted research and quality-improvement initiatives to reduce anastomotic failure and improve outcomes of colorectal surgery.
(Less)
- author
- Jutesten, H. LU
- contributor
- Buchwald, Pamela
LU
; Lydrup, M.
LU
; Azhar, N.
LU
and Vedin, T.
LU
- author collaboration
- publishing date
- 2025-11
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- anastomotic leak, benchmarking, colorectal resection, enhanced recovery programme, ESCP audit, minimally invasive surgery, perioperative management, postoperative morbidity, prospective multicentre audit
- in
- Colorectal Disease
- volume
- 27
- issue
- 11
- article number
- e70281
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105023982207
- pmid:41286435
- ISSN
- 1462-8910
- DOI
- 10.1111/codi.70281
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s). Colorectal Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.
- id
- 0850bdb3-8eb4-47d3-b63c-b5c59cc7fc7a
- date added to LUP
- 2026-05-04 15:07:01
- date last changed
- 2026-08-12 05:03:53
@article{0850bdb3-8eb4-47d3-b63c-b5c59cc7fc7a,
abstract = {{<p>Introduction: Benchmarking colorectal surgery outcomes informs quality improvement. The ESCP CORREA 2022 snapshot audit aimed to assess contemporary colorectal resection practices and short-term outcomes across European countries and beyond. Methods: An international prospective multicentre audit was conducted in which adults undergoing elective or emergency colorectal resection during a 6-week period (January–April 2022) at participating hospitals were included. Data on patient demographics, indications, surgical approach (open, laparoscopic or robotic) and 30-day postoperative outcomes (complications, reoperation and mortality) were collected for analysis. The outcomes were analysed and compared with those of previous audits to identify trends in colorectal surgery. Results: The study enrolled 3521 patients (56.8% men) from 216 hospitals across 53 countries. In 72.2% of the cases, the indication for resection was malignancy, followed by diverticular disease in 9.0%, Crohn's disease in 3.7% and ulcerative colitis in 2.3% of the cases. Of the surgeries, 74.4% were elective. Minimally invasive surgery was performed in 55.2% of the cases (48.7% laparoscopic and 6.5% robotic). Primary anastomosis was performed in 90.3% of the patients. The 30-day anastomotic leak rate was 7.96%; in malignant and benign diseases, the leak rates were 7.3% and 10.2%, respectively. The leak rates for right, left, anterior rectal resection, pouch and subtotal colectomy were 6.9%, 7.7%, 9.7%, 16.0% and 11.8%, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, the risk factors for leakage included male sex (9.3% vs. 6.3%, OR = 0.69, 95% CI 0.51–0.95, p = 0.023) and emergency surgery (11.4% vs. 7.1%, OR = 1.58, 95% CI 1.10–2.27, p = 0.013). Thirty-day mortality was 2.38%. Conclusions: This large international audit provides the status of the management of colorectal surgery. This shows that minimally invasive techniques are widely adopted, and 30-day mortality is low; however, anastomotic leak rates remain persistently high. These findings highlight the ongoing need for targeted research and quality-improvement initiatives to reduce anastomotic failure and improve outcomes of colorectal surgery.</p>}},
author = {{Jutesten, H.}},
issn = {{1462-8910}},
keywords = {{anastomotic leak; benchmarking; colorectal resection; enhanced recovery programme; ESCP audit; minimally invasive surgery; perioperative management; postoperative morbidity; prospective multicentre audit}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{11}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Colorectal Disease}},
title = {{Towards safer colorectal surgery worldwide : Outcomes and benchmarks from the ESCP CORREA 2022 audit}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/codi.70281}},
doi = {{10.1111/codi.70281}},
volume = {{27}},
year = {{2025}},
}