Disparities in operative outcomes in patients with comorbid mental illness

Abstract

BackgroundPatients with mental health disorders have worse medical outcomes and experience excess mortality compared with those without a mental health comorbidity. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between mental health comorbidities and surgical outcomes. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study used the National Inpatient Sample (2009–2011) to select patients who underwent one of the 4 most common general surgery procedures (cholecystectomy and common duct exploration, colorectal resection, excision and lysis of peritoneal adhesions, and appendectomy). Patients with a concurrent mental health diagnosis were identified. Multivariable logistic regression examined outcomes, including prolonged length of stay, in-hospital mortality, and postoperative complications. ResultsOf the 579,851 patients included, 38,702 patients (6.7%) had a mental health diagnosis. Mood disorders were most prevalent (58.7%), followed by substance abuse (23.8%). After adjustment for confounders, including sex, race, number of comorbidities, admission status, open operations, insurance, and income quartile, we found that having a mental health diagnosis conferred a 40% greater odds of including prolonged length of stay (OR 1.41, P < .001) and increased odds of any complication (OR 1.18, P < .001). Odds of death were slightly less in the mental health diagnosis cohort. ConclusionsGeneral surgery patients with comorbid mental disease experience a greater incidence of postoperative complications and longer hospitalizations. Recognizing these disparate outcomes is the first step in understanding how to optimize care for this frequently marginalized population.