Short-term outcomes of reactive versus preemptive conversion in laparoscopic colorectal resection

Background
Multiple studies have reported that conversion during laparoscopic surgery is associated with poor surgical outcomes. Two types of conversions have been reported: preemptive and reactive conversion. This study aims to compare the short-term outcomes after preemptive versus reactive conversion during laparoscopic colorectal surgeries.
Patients and methods
A total of 67 cases underwent conversion during the period between January 2017 till December 2019. They were classified based on the type of conversion into two groups: reactive group (45 cases) and preemptive group (22 cases). The collected data included preoperative (age, sex, BMI, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score), operative (operative time, pathology, cause of conversion, and blood transfusion), and postoperative data (hospital stay, in hospital mortality, complications, and short-term recurrence).
Results
No significant difference was detected between the study groups regarding demographic data, pathology, or cause of conversion. However, longer operative time and more need for blood transfusion were noticed in the reactive group. Moreover, postoperative complications were more commonly encountered in the same group, apart from anastomotic leakage. Accordingly, longer hospitalization was present in that group.
Conclusion
Reactive conversion appears to be associated with worse postoperative outcomes compared with preemptive conversion.