Abdominal surgery in cirrhotic patients: morbidity and mortality

Introduction: Cirrhotic patients who present for surgery pose a challenge for the surgeon because of the high reported morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to describe the outcome of patients with cirrhosis undergoing general surgery. Patients and methods: During the study period ( 20002008), patients with a history of cirrhosis who required abdominal surgery under general anesthesia were reviewed. One month outcome (death or hepatic decompensation) was recorded. Results: A total of 60 patients were included. The mean patient age was 61.5 years. Hepatitis C was the leading etiology of cirrhosis (33.3%). The patients were CTP class A (43.3%), B (46.7%), and C (10%). The most commonly performed procedure was cholecystectomy (36.7%). A total of 17 (28.3%) cases were classified as urgent, and 43 cases elective (71.7%). At one month, 13 (21.7%) patients had evidence of hepatic decompensation and 7 (11.7%) patients died. Conclusion: Our study shows that cirrhotic patients who undergo surgery under general anesthesia have a high one month mortality rate and morbidity rate.