Could skipping bowel prep before colon surgery be just as safe?
NCT ID NCT04931173
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at whether it's safe to skip mechanical bowel preparation (the drink that cleans out your colon) before colon surgery. Currently, the best practice combines that drink with antibiotics to prevent infections. The trial will compare two groups: one getting the drink plus antibiotics, and one getting only antibiotics. If the antibiotic-only group has the same low infection rate, patients could avoid the discomfort of bowel prep.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) and oral antibiotics (OA) plus intravenous antibiotics (IVA)
- What this could lead to
- If skipping mechanical bowel prep works as well as using it, patients could avoid uncomfortable side effects before colon surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a non-inferiority trial, so it may show that skipping bowel prep leads to more infections. Results may not apply to all patients or surgeries.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 1,062 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * undergoing elective colon surgery for benign or malignant disease * over the age of 18 years * provides informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * known anaphylaxis to neomycin or metronidazole * pregnancy or lactation * chronic renal failure (serum creatinine \> 220 umol/L).
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Colon cancer are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a personalized menu keep cancer patients stronger through chemotherapy?
- Can surgeons spare nerves and still cure colon cancer?
- Can a simple checklist cut unnecessary antibiotics for diverticulitis?
- The gatekeepers of tumors: scientists probe how blood vessels let immune cells in
- Blood test could guide stronger chemo for colon cancer
- Could your Donor's gut bacteria decide whether a stool transplant works?