The ESCP Safe-anastomosis Programme in Colorectal Surgery (EAGLE) is an international, multi-centre, cluster randomised-sequence service improvement study of the ESCP Safe-anastomosis Quality Improvement Intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy and ileocaecal resection. Any hospital or surgical unit performing elective and/or emergency colorectal surgery may participate.
The study consists of interactive, online training modules for surgeons and theatre teams and will assess whether implementation of the ESCP safe-anastomosis intervention reduces risk of anastomotic leak rate.
The study programme has three main approaches:
- Preoperative risk stratification - making sure for each patient that anastomosis is safe for them
- Harmonisation of surgical technique - making the best anastomosis possible and checking it carefully after it is created
- Implementation of an intra-operative, anastomosis ‘checklist’ - focusing the attention of the whole theatre team at this critical stage of the operation.
Overall, we hope to reach out to more than 2,000 surgeons in over 300 hospitals across the world, including 4,500 patients in total.
The primary outcome is the 30-day overall anastomotic leak rate, defined as clinical or radiologically detected anastomotic leak or intra-abdominal or pelvic collection.
Latest News – May 2023
EAGLE is now closed to recruitment of new hospitals. Interim study findings were presented at the ESCP Congress in Dublin and the first publication on the primary outcome is currently being drafted. Thank you to all collaborators who participated in this study.
The trial protocol has been published in Colorectal Disease and can be viewed at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/codi.15806
Further information
- EAGLE Study Summary (PDF)
- EAGLE Study Protocol (PDF)
You can find out more about EAGLE and how to get involved, online at https://is.gd/EAGLEsitesetup where you can access the Site Set-up Pathway which is now live. We have a team of 22 coordinators ready to help support hospitals in setting up their sites for EAGLE.
ESCP Vienna 2019 videos
ESCP held a satellite symposium 'Reducing Anastomotic Leaks - the EAGLE has landed' at our conference in Vienna 2019. Videos of this session are freely-accessible to view:
- video EAGLE: study structure and design
- video EAGLE: background and intervention
- video EAGLE: management, logistics and how to get your site open
- video EAGLE Q&A
Newsletter
Download our EAGLE Newsletters for study updates and information:
- Issue 12: March 2022 (624kb PDF)
- Issue 11: February 2022 (222kb PDF)
- Issue 10: October 2021 (616kb PDF)
- Issue 9: July 2021 (650kb PDF)
- Issue 8: June 2021 (558kb PDF)
- Issue 7: May 2021 (428kb PDF)
- Issue 6: January 2021 (541kb PDF)
- Issue 5: November 2020 (457kb PDF)
- Issue 4: October 2020 (318kb PDF)
- Issue 3: February 2020 (760kb PDF)
- Issue 2: January 2020 (1.1MB PDF)
- Issue 1: December 2019 (1.3MB PDF)
