How often do patients return to the operating room after colorectal resections?

Aim We sought to identify the rate of re‐operation after an index colorectal surgical procedure and potential contributing risk factors. Method This is a retrospective cohort study from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. We identified all patients who either returned or did not return to the operating room after any colorectal resection from January 2005 to December 2008. Results From a total cohort of 635 265 patients included in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program over the 4‐year study period, we identified 54 237 patients who underwent colorectal operations. A return to the operating room was coded in 5.4 ± 0.1% of non colorectal resection patients and 7.6 ± 0.2% of colorectal resection patients (P