Comparison of Diversion Strategies for Management of Acute Complicated Diverticulitis in a US Nationwide Cohort

IMPORTANCE: Diverticulitis of the colon is an increasingly prevalent disease with significant implications for patient quality of life and health system resource expenditure. Although several randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses of Hartman procedure (HP) and primary anastomosis and proximal diversion (PAPD) have found surgical equipoise, questions regarding the relative performance of these treatments when applied broadly remain. OBJECTIVE: To examine use of and outcomes after urgent sigmoid colectomy with end colostomy (ie, HP) vs PAPD in management of complicated diverticulitis. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was a multicenter, population-based examination of inpatient hospitalizations, not including long-term rehabilitation facilities, using data from the 2014 to 2017 Nationwide Readmissions Database. It was performed from November 2020 to January 2021. Included patients were adults admitted with acute diverticulitis requiring HP or PAPD within 48 hours of admission. EXPOSURES: Undergoing HP vs PAPD. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Inverse probability treatment analysis was used to compare outcomes, including index mortality, composite complications (ie, neurologic, infectious, and cardiovascular complications), length of stay, and readmissions within 90 days. RESULTS: During the study period, an estimated 1 072 395 adults (615 954 [57.4%] women; median [IQR] age, 64 [52-76] years) required nonelective hospitalization for acute colonic diverticulutus. A total of 34 126 patients required diversion, with 32 326 patients (94.7%) undergoing HP and 1800 patients (5.3%) undergoing PAPD within 48 hours of admission. Patients undergoing PAPD had a decreased median (IQR) age (60 [51-70] years vs 65 [54-74] years; P < .001) and decreased rates of end organ dysfunction (520 patients [28.9%] vs 11 514 patients [35.6%]; P < .001). In inverse probability treatment weight analysis, the odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.32-1.40), complications (aOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.66-1.13), and nonhome discharge (aOR 1.15; 95% CI, 0.83-1.60) were similar for PAPD compared with HP. Among 1772 patients who underwent PAPD and survived index hospitalization, there was an increased incidence of 90-day readmission compared with 30 851 patients who underwent HP and survived index hospitalization (393 patients [22.2%] vs 4384 patients [14.2%]; P < .001) with increased hazard of ostomy reversal (hazard ratio, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.08-1.99). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study found that the use of PAPD was associated with comparable index hospitalization outcomes vs use of HP, while readmission rate and ostomy risk were statistically significantly increased among patients who underwent PAPD compared with patients who underwent HP. These findings suggest that further delineation of criteria for appropriate application of PAPD in the urgent setting are warranted.