Postoperative mortality after surgery for inflammatory bowel disease: The myth of Apollo and Artemis

Abstract

In this issue Domènech et al. [1] investigated postoperative mortality after surgery for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) at the population level in Catalonia, Spain over 10 years (2007–2016). Hence, those data reflect contemporary care and include the liberal use of biological therapy. A multidisciplinary approach remains a mainstay of therapy in IBD. Surgical outcomes matter, as nearly every second patient with Crohn's disease (CD) requires surgical care, respectively every tenth patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) [2,3], in spite of the efficacy and availability of modern medical therapy.