Study Describes Procedure-Specific Types, Rates, and Risk Factors for Postdischarge Complications

Surgical site complications, infections, and thromboembolic events were the most common complications that occurred postdischarge among all surgical procedures, according to the results of a study published in the November 2012 Archives of Surgery. The study, which included 551,510 adult patients who underwent 1 of 21 groups of general surgery procedures, found that 16.7% experienced a complication of which 41.5% occurred postdischarge. Of the postdischarge complications, 75.0% occurred within 14 days of discharge. Proctectomy (14.5%), enteric fistula repair (12.6%), and pancreatic procedures (11.4%) had the highest postdischarge complication rates. Breast, bariatric, and ventral hernia repair procedures had the highest proportions of complications that occurred postdischarge (78.7%, 69.4%, and 62.0%, respectively).