Rollins KE, et al. - Researchers investigated outcome in elective colorectal surgery in correlation to the use of oral antibiotics (OAB) with or without mechanical bowel preparation (MBP). For this meta-analysis, they identified a total of 40 studies with 69,517 patients (28 randomized controlled trials, n = 6437 and 12 cohort studies, n = 63,080) for inclusion. Outcomes revealed a significant reduction in surgical site infection (SSI), anastomotic leak, 30-day mortality, overall morbidity, and development of ileus, with no difference in Clostridium difficile infection rates in correlation to the combination of MBP+OAB vs MBP alone. On comparing a combination of MBP+OAB with OAB alone, they identified no significant difference in SSI or anastomotic leak rates, however, they noted a significant decline in 30-day mortality, and incidence of postoperative ileus with the combination. Evidence thereby suggests that OAB preparation, either in combination with MBP or alone, has a potentially significant role in the prevention of postoperative complications in elective colorectal surgery.