Biological Treatment and the Potential Risk of Adverse Postoperative Outcome in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: An Open-Source Expert Panel Review of the Current Literature and Future Perspectives
Authors:   Open Source Research Collaborating Group (#OpenSourceResearch), El-Hussuna Alaa , Myrelid Pär , Holubar Stefan D , Kotze Paulo G , Mackenzie Graham , Pellino Gianluca , Winter Des , Davies Justin , Negoi Ionut , Grewal Perbinder , Gallo Gaetano , Sahnan Kapil , Rubio-Perez Ines , Clerc Daniel , Demartines Nicolas , Glasbey James , Regueiro Miguel , Sherif Ahmed E , Neary Peter , Pata Francesco , Silverberg Mark , Clermont Stefan , Chadi Sami A , Emile Sameh , Buchs Nicolas , Millan Monica , Minaya-Bravo Ana , Elfeki Hossam , De Simone Veronica , Shalaby Mostafa , Gutierrez Celestino , Ozen Cihan , Yalçınkaya Ali , Rivadeneira David , Sturiale Alssandro , Yassin Nuha , Spinelli Antonino , Warusavitarne Jay , Ioannidis Argyrios , Wexner Steven , Mayol Julio 
Published: August 2019

Background

There is widespread concern that treatment with biologic agents may be associated with suboptimal postoperative outcome after surgery for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

Aim

We aimed to search and analyze the literature regarding the potential association of biologic treatment on adverse postoperative outcome in patients with IBD. We used the subject as a case in point for surgical research. The aim was not to conduct a new systematic review.

Method

This is an updated narrative review written in a collaborative method by authors invited through Twitter via the following hashtags (#OpenSourceResearch and #SoMe4Surgery). The manuscript was presented as slides on Twitter to allow discussion of each section of the paper sequentially. A Google document was created, which was shared across social media, and comments and edits were verified by the primary author to ensure accuracy and consistency.

Results

Forty-one collaborators responded to the invitation, and a total of 106 studies were identified that investigated the potential association of preoperative biological treatment on postoperative outcome in patients with IBD. Most of these studies were retrospective observational cohorts: 3 were prospective, 4 experimental, and 3 population-based studies. These studies were previously analyzed in 10 systematic/narrative reviews and 14 meta-analyses. Type of biologic agents, dose, drug concentration, antidrug antibodies, interval between last dose, and types of surgery varied widely among the studies. Adjustment for confounders and bias control ranged from good to very poor. Only 10 studies reported postoperative outcome according to Clavien–Dindo classification.

Conclusion

Although a large number of studies investigated the potential effect of biological treatment on postoperative outcomes, many reported divergent results. There is a need for randomized controlled trials. Future studies should focus on the avoiding the weakness of prior studies we identified. Seeking collaborators and sharing information via Twitter was integral to widening the contributors/authors and peer review for this article and was an effective method of collaboration.