Incidence of postoperative complications in the first 24 hours: A retrospective cohort study in Saudi Arabia

Background: Postsurgical complication considers highly common for both patients and surgical teams. The complication depends on multi factor related to the patient health profile and the experience of the surgeon along with operation state emergency or elective. Objectives: We aimed to assess the rate and incidence of postoperative complications during the first 24 hours after general surgery in the Saudi population and to identify the key predictors for early post-operative complications. Methods: A retrospective record review was conducted from case files of 1,005 patients who underwent laparoscopic, open and conversion-approach surgeries at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. Results: Most of the surgical procedures conducted in the general surgery department as open approach sub-type (n=583, 58.3%) while laparoscopic surgeries were the second most common (n=327, 32.7%). The open approach was the most significant approach it was more common among patients with diabetes (p<0.017, n=166). The most common postoperative complications related to the open approach were post-op constipation (p<0.005, n=119), neurological complications (p<0.039, n=10) and surgical site complications (p<0.014, n=1). The post-operative complications in the laparoscopic approach as post-op constipation (p<0.004, n=72) and surgical site complications (p<0.032, n=72). In diabetes, post-operative surgical complications (p<0.002, n=7), surgical site complications and neurological complications (p<0.003, n=6) are common. Conclusion: The open approach has been more affected than laparoscopic in our study by the risk factors related to comorbidity in Saudi Arabian patients. Need to assess the post-operative complication state combined with the newer minimally invasive surgical procedures as multicenter studies.