This is a prospective observational study. All patients undergoing colon resection in the urgent/emergent setting meeting our inclusion/exclusion criteria will be enrolled in the study. Data will be collected prospectively and the decision to perform proximal diversion or anastomosis is solely the responsibility of the managing acute care surgeon. No guidelines or protocols will be suggested so as to avoid any influence on practitioner decision-making. The plan is to complete the data collection and analysis by 03/01/2020
Primary anastomosis is associated with higher rates of perioperative morbidity/mortality and that fecal diversion improves overall mortality, decreases length of stay, and lowers rates of surgical complications requiring unplanned operative intervention.