Prophylactic Drain Versus No Drain in Curative Gastric Cancer Surgery—A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The adoption of enhanced recovery after surgery protocols has questioned the placement of prophylactic drain after curative gastrectomy. A 2015 Cochrane meta-analysis did not find convincing evidence of routine drain placement in gastrectomy, but the quality of evidence was questioned. The present study compared short-term outcomes of prophylactic drain placement versus no drain in gastrectomy. Methodology The study is a prospective, non-inferiority, and randomized controlled trial. Histologically proven adenocarcinoma of the stomach undergoing curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy was included in the study. Randomization was done intra-operatively. The primary outcome was a postoperative hospital stay. Secondary outcomes included the return of bowel function, achieving adequate enteral feeding, re-surgery, morbidity, and mortality. Results One hundred fifty-seven patients were registered, of which 108 patients underwent curative surgery, and were randomized to 54 patients in each group. The median age was 55 years (range: 23–78) and 58.5 years (range: 35–80) in the drain and no drain group. No significant difference was noticed in primary or secondary outcomes in both groups. Conclusion Avoid placing a prophylactic drain is not inferior to drain placement following gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for stomach adenocarcinoma. So, routine prophylactic drain placement can be avoided.