LapEmerge trial: study protocol for a laparoscopic approach for emergency colon resection—a multicenter, open label, randomized controlled trial

Background: Due to faster recovery and lower morbidity rates, laparoscopy has become the gold standard in elective colorectal surgery for both the benign and malignant forms of the disease. A substantial proportion of colorectal operations are, however, carried out in emergency settings, and most of the emergency resections are still performed open. The aim of this study is to compare the laparoscopic versus open approach for emergency colorectal surgery. Method/design: This is a multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial including adult patients presenting with a condition requiring emergency colorectal resection. Discussion: Previous studies cautiously recommend wider use of laparoscopy in emergency colorectal resections, but all earlier reports are retrospective, are mostly single-center studies, and have limited numbers of patients. Laparoscopy may involve some unpredictable risks that have not yet been reported because of the infrequent use of the techniqueded to assess the safety of laparoscopy as well as the advantages and disadvantages of open compared with laparoscopic emergency surgery. Trial registration: Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05005117. Registered on August 12, 2021.