Bowel preparation may not be needed for elective colectomy

US and Europe have differing approaches
Reuters Health
Surgeon's hand holding a scalpel

Mechanical and oral antibiotic bowel preparation does not reduce surgical site infections and morbidity after elective colectomy, a European study suggests.

In the first randomised controlled trial on the topic, researchers from four hospitals in Finland randomised 396 patients assigned to either bowel preparation or no bowel preparation before elective colon resection.