Online training program significantly reduces postop complications following colon surgery

Editor's Note

An online training program from the University of Birmingham’s Global Surgery Unit, called the EAGLE study, has been shown to reduce major postoperative complications following certain types of colon surgical procedures. The findings were published in the British Journal of Surgery on November 29.

Researchers found that surgical teams that completed an online education module and followed more harmonized surgical techniques saw a 50% reduction in anastomotic leaks after certain colon surgical procudures, including right colectomy. 

Anastomotic leaks occur when two sections of the channel in the gut aren't joined together correctly during surgery, leading to contents of the gut to leak into surrounding tissue. These leaks affect around one in 12 patients undergoing bowel resection and are associated with a five-fold increase in postoperative mortality.

The findings indicate that the EAGLE study–a global collaborative effort–can serve as a new means of delivering education and behavioral change in surgery.