title: [Drainages in abdominal surgery: (in)dispensable?]
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prophylactic placement of intraperitoneal drains in elective abdominal surgery is still subject to scrutiny.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Do currently available data enable the practice of routine placement of abdominal drainages to be abandoned?
  
  
  METHODS
  The databases of MEDLINE, PubMed and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for clinical trials concerning the practice of routine drainage placement in elective abdominal surgery. The available evidence was summarized for cholecystectomy, colorectal surgery, gastrectomy and pancreatic surgery, as well as for liver resection. A total of 6 Cochrane reviews including 65 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 9 retrospective analyses, as well as 1 more recent RCT and 3 retrospective analyses that were not included in a meta-analysis were reviewed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is evidence that drains should not be routinely used in elective abdominal surgery, such as cholecystectomy, colorectal resection and gastrectomy. Even for some cases of pancreatic and liver resection, there is growing evidence that routine placement of drains is not mandatory. In conclusion, there is a need for more prospective randomized controlled trials.
authors.affiliation: Chirurgische Klinik, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Globke
authors.affiliation: Chirurgische Klinik, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmelzle
authors.affiliation: Chirurgische Klinik, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahra
authors.affiliation: Chirurgische Klinik, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pratschke
authors.affiliation: Chirurgische Klinik, Campus Charité Mitte | Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Deutschland. jens.neudecker@charite.de.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Neudecker
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000601:surgery*; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D003107:Colorectal Surgery; D004322:Drainage / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D010180:Pancreatectomy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Abdominal surgery; Indications; Infection; Prevention; Review