Results of a Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Trial of Aprotinin (Trasylol) in Colonic Surgery

100 patients undergoing colorectal surgery were entered into a prospective randomised double-blind trial of the collagenase inhibitor aprotinin (Trasylol). Post-operative assessment of the integrity of the anastomoses was performed and the overall radiological leakage rate was 22% for the aprotinin group and 35% for the placebo group. The overall clinical leakage rate was 8 and 15 % for aprotinin and placebo, respectively. This reduction in the leakage rates may be of clinical importance and further studies are therefore warranted.