Early Postoperative Complications of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Its Associated Factors in Yemeni Patients Treated in a Teaching Hospital: A Retrospective Monocentric Study.

Abstract

BackgroundPostoperative complications (POCs) are significant concerns to surgeons because of their possible fatality or long-term disabilities. This study aimed to investigate the early POCs of gastrointestinal surgery and its associated factors in Yemeni patients treated in a teaching hospital in Sana'a University referral hospital.MethodA retrospective cross-sectional study from June 2016 to June 2020 was conducted at Al-Kuwait Teaching Hospital, Sana'a University, Yemen. The patients' characteristics, causative factors, primary treatment, and POCs were recorded from their medical profiles. Univariate analysis was utilized to identify the risk factors associated with gastrointestinal POCs within 30 postoperative days.ResultsThe 30-postoperative day mortality was 3.6%, and major POCs occurred in 22 (20%) patients. There is no statistically significant relationship between POCs and age, sex, smoking, khat chewing, comorbidities (diabetes mellitus, anemia, jaundice, heart disease), emergency cases, drain insertion, and operative time (p ˃ 0.05). There was a significant relationship between POCs and preoperative poor nutritional status, high American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade, need for blood transfusion, major abdominal surgeries, iatrogenic injury, small bowel resection, reoperation, and history of the previous laparotomy (p ≤ 0.05).ConclusionThere is a significant relationship between preoperative poor nutritional status, high ASA, need for blood transfusion, major abdominal surgeries, reoperation, small bowel resection, iatrogenic injury, previous laparotomy, and POCs across different gastrointestinal procedures. These factors should be assessed when auditing surgical outcomes.