Complication patterns and postoperative outcomes in surgical patients admitted to intensive care units
Abstract
Objective
To analyze the frequency and types of postoperative complications and risk factors for in-hospital mortality.
Methods
This retrospective longitudinal study included adult patients who underwent surgical procedures and were admitted to the intensive care unit of a university hospital between March and July 2022. Study variables included sociodemographic, clinical, and epidemiological data; postoperative complications and hospital outcomes. The significance level was set at 5%.
Results
We analyzed 202 patients, with a median age of 67 years (IQR 55–74) and a predominance of males (62.4%). Inhospital mortality was 26.2%. Postoperative complications occurred in 84.7% of patients, with cardiovascular (53.4%), infectious (49.5%), and gastrointestinal (48.5%) complications being the most frequent. Early postoperative feeding was initiated in 34.2% of cases, and a delay was associated with a higher risk of complications. Nausea and vomiting prophylaxis were administered to most patients—intraoperatively in 61.9% and postoperatively in 96%. In logistic regression analysis, female sex, urgent surgery, and higher SAPS 3 scores were identified as independent risk factors for death.
Conclusions
Postoperative complications were highly prevalent and associated with an increased risk of death. Intra-operative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis and early postoperative feeding were associated with a lower frequency of complications. Identified risk factors for mortality included female sex, higher SAPS 3 scores, and urgent surgeries.
© 2025 Caroline Tolentino Sanches, Silvia Paulino Ribeiro Albanese, Monique Elen Robuste, Gabriela Gomes da Silva, Marcos Toshiyuki Tanita, Cintia Grion, published by University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures
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