Surgery today
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Multicenter Study
Effectiveness of leukocytapheresis in suppressing the occurrence of surgical site infections following surgery for ulcerative colitis.
Surgical site infections (SSIs) occur more frequently in surgery for patients with ulcerative colitis than in regular colon surgery. We report here on a joint study that was prospectively conducted by six facilities to verify that performing leukocytapheresis (LCAP) therapy immediately following surgery regulates neutrophil activity and acts to suppress the occurrence of SSIs. ⋯ LCAP therapy was effective in suppressing the occurrence of SSIs following 2-stage surgery for ulcerative colitis and also reduced the length of postoperative hospitalization.