Abstract
Background
Several studies have shown a possible causal relationship between the occurrence of systemic inflammation in patients with malignant disease and increased risk of cardiovascular events. Our objective was to estimate the association between malignant disease and postoperative cardiovascular complications. Secondarily, we aimed to identify risk factors for postoperative cardiovascular complications.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients ≥ 18 years undergoing emergency laparotomy between 2010 and 2016 at the Department of Surgery at Zealand University Hospital, Denmark. Complications were graded according to the Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification of surgical complications. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the association between malignant disease and cardiovascular complications within 30 days of emergency laparotomy and to identify other risk factors for postoperative cardiovascular complications after emergency laparotomy.
Results
We identified 1188 patients ≥ 18 years undergoing emergency laparotomy between 2010 and 2016, in which 254 (21%) had malignant disease. Within 30 days of emergency laparotomy, 89 (9.5%) of patients without malignancy died, as compared with 45 (18%) of patients with malignancy (p < 0.001). Severe cardiovascular complication graded CD 3–5 occurred in 93 (8%) of all patients within 30 days of emergency laparotomy. We found no association between malignancy and postoperative cardiovascular complications. Increasing age and ASA physical status classification system (ASA) score ≥ III were the only independent risk factors of cardiovascular complications graded CD 3–5.
Conclusions
Malignancy was not associated with postoperative cardiovascular complications after emergency laparotomy. Risk factors for major cardiovascular complications after emergency abdominal surgery were age and ASA score ≥ III.
Rural hospital outcomes versus non-rural hospital outcomes following emergency laparotomy: A Scottish retrospective cohort study
