Table 1 Baseline characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between the intracorporeal barbed suture reinforcement and control groups
|  | Intracorporeal barbed suture reinforcement group n = 142 | Control group n = 150 |
|---|---|---|
Age (year) | 65.00 (7.53) | 59.50 (10.57) |
Sex | Â | Â |
 Male | 79 (55.63%) | 78 (52.00%) |
 Female | 63 (44.37%) | 72 (48.00%) |
BMI (kg/m2) | 22.28 (2.85) | 21.41 (2.89) |
ASA | Â | Â |
 Grade 1 | 70 (49.30%) | 93 (62.00%) |
 Grade 2 | 70 (49.30%) | 55 (36.67%) |
 Grade 3 | 2 (1.41%) | 2 (1.33%) |
Smoking | Â | Â |
 Yes | 39 (27.46%) | 37 (24.67%) |
 No | 103 (72.54%) | 113 (75.33%) |
Diabetes | Â | Â |
 Yes | 21 (14.79%) | 14 (9.33%) |
 No | 121 (85.21%) | 136 (90.67%) |
Anemia | Â | Â |
 Yes | 17 (11.97%) | 17 (11.33%) |
 No | 125 (88.03%) | 133 (88.67%) |
Preoperative albumin level | Â | Â |
 Normal | 138 (97.18%) | 146 (97.33%) |
 Low | 4 (2.82%) | 4 (2.67%) |
Preoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy | Â | Â |
 Yes | 18 (12.68%) | 15 (10.00%) |
 No | 124 (87.32%) | 135 (90.00%) |
Previous abdominal surgery history | Â | Â |
 Yes | 7 (4.93%) | 6 (4.00%) |
 No | 135 (95.07%) | 144 (96.00%) |
Tumor size (cm) | 3.75 (1.48) | 4.00 (1.57) |
Stage | Â | Â |
 Stage I | 13 (9.15%) | 9 (6.00%) |
 Stage II | 48 (33.80%) | 57 (38.00%) |
 Stage III | 81 (57.04%) | 84 (56.00%) |
Tumor distance (cm) | 7.00 (1.18) | 7.00 (1.27) |
Stapler firings | Â | Â |
 < 3 | 133 (93.66%) | 142 (94.67%) |
 ≥ 3 | 9 (6.34%) | 8 (5.33%) |
Reserve of LCA | Â | Â |
 Yes | 86 (60.56%) | 89 (59.33%) |
 No | 56 (39.44%) | 61 (40.67%) |
Anastomosis level (cm) | 3.00 (1.10) | 3.00 (1,19) |
Number of retrieved LNs | 17.00 (4.62) | 16.50 (3.88) |
Surgical time (min) | 147.50 (35.05) | 130.00 (32.07) |
Estimated blood loss (ml) | 100.00 (73.96) | 100.00 (75.01) |
Postoperative ventilation time (h) | 60.00 (20.03) | 72.00 (19.74) |
AL | Â | Â |
 Yes | 4 (2.82%) | 15 (10.00%) |
 No | 138 (97.18%) | 135 (90.00%) |
Hospital stay (day) | 7.50 (3.18) | 8.00 (4.12) |