Antithrombotic Therapy Raises Risk of Anastomotic Leakage in Colorectal Surgery

Antithrombotic therapy significantly increases the risk of anastomotic leakage after colorectal surgery, which is critical for patient management.

  • 8.8% of patients developed anastomotic leakage, with antithrombotic therapy linked to a 2.10 times greater risk.
  • Other risk factors include previous colorectal surgery (1.69 times), male sex (1.99 times), and anastomosis < 5 cm from the anal verge (2.28 times).

Surgeons should consider these factors during patient selection and pre-operative assessments.

Journal Article by Cats M, Plate JD (…) Boerma D et 4 al. in J Am Coll Surg

Copyright © 2026 by the American College of Surgeons. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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