SEX AND ASA CLASSIFICATION, NOT FASTING TIME, ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLICATIONS IN THE POSTOPERATIVE PERIOD

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: According to the literature, some factors are associated with the development of postoperative complications including surgical approach, smoking, comorbidities, nutritional status, classification of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), fasting time period, and others. In the case of surgical patients, some factors are important for the assessment of the outcomes. AIMS: To investigate the factors associated with the likelihood of postoperative complications in surgical patients. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted with patients who were admitted to hospital more than 24 h. The following variables were investigated: nutritional risk screening, body mass index, ASA classification, fasting time, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications. For statistical analysis, the Chi-square, Fisher’s exact, and Mann-Whitney tests were used. To investigate the risk factors associated with postoperative complications, simple and multiple Cox regression analyses were used. RESULTS: In the total group of patients, there was an association between postoperative complications and men (p=0.0197), surgical risk (ASA) (p=0.0397) and length of hospital stay (p<0001); men showed a risk 2.2 times greater than women for some kind of postoperative complication (p=0.0456; PR=2.167; 95%CI 1.015–4.624). In patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, there was an association between postoperative complications and length of hospital stay (p<0001). In patients undergoing other surgeries, there was an association between postoperative complications and length of hospital stay (p<0001) and ASA classification (p=0.0160); ASA classification was considered a factor associated with the probability of postoperative complications (p=0.0335; PR=4.125; 95%CI 1.117–15.237). CONCLUSIONS: Men in the total group of patients and the ASA 3 or 4 criteria in the group of patients undergoing other surgeries were considered factors associated with the occurrence of complications in the postoperative period.