Anastomotic Leakage in Colorectal Cancer Surgery in Syria

Anastomotic leakage is a serious complication of colorectal cancer surgery, particularly in resource-limited and conflict-affected settings. This retrospective cohort study conducted at Damascus Hospital, Syria, evaluated patient and procedure related risk factors for anastomotic leakage following elective sigmoid colon and rectal resections. An initial cohort (January 2016-March 2024) identified modifiable risk factors that informed updates to institutional preoperative and perioperative guidelines. A follow-up cohort (April 2024-October 2025) was subsequently analyzed to assess outcomes after guideline implementation. The study demonstrates that targeted optimization, especially correction of hypoalbuminemia and improved perioperative management was associated with reduced anastomotic leakage and postoperative mortality, highlighting the value of context-specific, evidence-based guideline changes in low-resource surgical settings.

NCT Number	NCT07092631
Lead Sponsor	Elie Bitar Collaborators: Syrian Private University, Damascus Hospital
Conditions	Anastomotic Leakage in Colon Surgery, Anastomotic Leak Rectum, Anastomotic Leak Large Intestine
Enrollment	119 participants
Start Date	2016-01-04
Primary Completion	2025-10-08 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-10-20 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-06