Gut microbiome profiling of patients with and without anastomotic leak following colorectal surgery

Background: Anastomotic leak (AL) is a serious complication after colorectal surgery. The gut microbiome is thought to play a critical role in surgical wound healing, but its association with AL remains to be fully elucidated.Objectives: This study aimed to characterize and compare the gut microbiota composition between patients who developed AL and matched patients who did not after colorectal surgery.Methods: We conducted a case-control study involving 20 patients: 10 who developed AL and 10 matched controls without AL. Fecal samples were collected from all participants, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced using the Illumina MiSeq platform. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University.Conclusions: Our findings provide insights into the potential role of the gut microbiome in the development of anastomotic leak.