Revisiting the value of drains after low anterior resection for rectal cancer: An analysis of 996 patients.

45 Background: Although potentially associated with increased infections, intraoperative pelvic drains are often placed during low anterior resection (LAR) to evacuate postoperative fluid collections and identify/control potential anastomotic leaks. Our aim was to assess the validity of this practice in a large dataset of patients undergoing LAR for rectal cancer. Methods: Patients from the US Rectal Cancer Consortium (2007-17) who underwent...