EP801 - Effect of the Use of Vialize Amniotic Membrane on Immediate Postoperative Course in Colorectal Surgery

Purpose/Background: Vialize Amniotic Membrane is a lyophilized allograft used to promote wound healing. We hypothesize that peri-anastomotic application of Vialize improves outcomes after colorectal surgery.

Methods/Interventions: This is a retrospective study evaluating patients that underwent colorectal surgery, including ileocolic and ileorectal anastomosis, at Spring Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada between January 1, 2023 and April 15, 2025. Elective and nonemergency inpatient cases were included. Emergency cases, cases with feculent peritonitis, and cases involving hemodynamically unstable patients were excluded.

Results/Outcomes: A total of 174 patients were reviewed. Three were excluded due to postoperative death. Fifty-six patients received Vialize and 115 did not. Surgical site infection (SSI) rate was statistically lower in the Vialize group (0%) compared to the control group (6.96%) (p = 0.043) though anastomotic leaks only trended toward significance with 0/56 (0.0%) leaks in the Vialize cohort compared to 6/115 (5.22%) leaks in the control group (p = 0.082). The rates of postoperative ileus were 7.14% (V) versus 9.57% (C) (p = 0.599). There was no difference (p = 0.056) in postoperative LOS between Vialize (M = 5.375, SD = 9.780) and Control (M = 5.826, SD = 6.183) groups.

Conclusion/Discussion: This study shows a significant decrease in the risk of SSI with the use of Vialize. It also showed a trend towards lower leak rates, ileus, and shorter LOS but differences in these measures did not reach statistical significance. The decrease in SSI likely comes from an undetectable difference in leak rate that our study is underpowered for. We propose that larger and randomized prospective studies will potentially be able to demonstrate these benefits of Vialize use.