Shifting practice: Moving to a stent first approach for both left and right sided acute malignant large bowel obstruction (LBO).

Background: To assess the safety and efficacy of a change to a stent first approach for malignant large bowel obstruction (LBO) in both left and right colon in a single centre over a 4-year period.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study in an acute NHS Hospital Trust from 01/01/2019-31/12/2022 examines a change in practice from emergency surgery (ES) to colonic stenting for patients with both left and right sided acute malignant LBO. Co-primary outcomes were clinically successful bowel decompression following stenting and 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were length of stay, stent complications, stoma formation and minimally invasive surgery (MIS).

Results: 68 patients underwent colonic stenting, and 29 patients underwent primary ES for acute malignant LBO. Stenting achieved successful bowel decompression in 77.9%. 30-day mortality for those initially stented was 7.4% and for ES 6.9%. In palliative patients initially treated with stenting the stoma rate was lower (15.4 vs. 100.0%) with a reduced rate of open surgery (5.1 vs 87.5%) when compared to ES. In curative patients initially treated with stenting the stoma rate was lower (37.9 vs. 80.1%) with an increased rate of MIS (69.0 vs 19.0%), when compared to ES. 27.9% of patients underwent stenting proximal to the splenic flexure.

Conclusions: It is possible to offer colonic stenting to > 80% of patients presenting with acute malignant LBO despite not having a 24/7 rota. There was a reduced rate of stoma formation, open surgery and length of stay in both palliative and curative patients undergoing primary colonic stenting.