The high rate of failure in colorectal surgery will be tackled in University of Newcastle research that aims to use the gut microbiome to help patients heal.
Microbiologist Dr Emily Hoedt was awarded a $500,000 NSW Health early-mid career research grant to improve colorectal surgical outcomes.
Despite progress in surgical care, the rate of bowel reconstruction failures [anastomotic leaks] remain high at 5 per cent to 15 per cent.
About 16 per cent of patients who suffer these failures will die from sepsis infection.
Dr Hoedt's research is examining ways to "manage and reduce the risk of an unsuccessful surgery".
Studies also show quality of life diminishes for those patients with anastomotic leaks who do survive the surgery.
"The effects are long term," Dr Hoedt said.
Colorectal surgery involves removal of damaged tissue. It's the main treatment for many digestive diseases, such as cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Reconstruction involves rejoining the remaining bowel or forming a small opening in the abdomen, which is used to remove body waste into a collection bag.
About 190 patients have donated tissue during surgery for Dr Hoedt's research.
This tissue is used to examine a patient's "gut microbiome", which plays a key role in maintaining normal bowel function, causing or exacerbating digestive diseases and influencing how gut wounds heal.
"We're trying to see if we can identify signals that would predict who would experience a leak," Dr Hoedt said.
"We're using computational methods to look for correlations and associations with particular microbes."
Dr Hoedt is working with clinicians and surgeons on the Hunter Medical Research Institute project.
"They're really passionate about the whole thing," she said.
The new funding will enable Dr Hoedt to collect more samples from patients and track their experience.
If they suffer an anastomotic leak, the researchers will take a second microbiome sample.
"I can look at what's responsible and driving that action in the patient, so we can look at designing specific treatments for them going in."
This might involve following a particular diet or a course of antibiotics to "modulate their microbiome".
The aim was to give these people "the best possible chance of healing".
"That's the long-term goal we're aiming for."
