A one year audit of the Colorectal Unit at Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre: 2016-2017

Colorectal surgery has developed into an established surgical subspecialty in South Africa, however there is a paucity of data regarding the epidemiology and surgical outcomes of patients with colorectal disease in this country. The objective is to present the findings of a one-year audit of the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre (WDGMC) Colorectal Unit with specific reference to indications, surgical procedures and patient outcomes.

Patient files from December 2016 to November 2017 were included in a retrospective analysis. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyse continuous variables and the Chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables.

During the audit period, 1264 patients were admitted to the Colorectal Unit and a further 564 outpatient endoscopic procedures were performed. There were 306 emergency admissions. 139 elective colorectal resections took place, with a 16% major complication rate, a 12% anastomotic leak rate and no deaths. Rectal resections constituted 66% of the operations and 34% were colonic resections. The median length of stay for all patients undergoing resection was 9 days and there was no statistically significant difference in length of stay between open and laparoscopic cases.

The WDGMC Colorectal Unit manages a high volume of patients presenting with the full spectrum of colorectal disease.