RESUMO
Background Postoperative complications (POC) are undesirable consequences of surgery and are a major area of concern adversely affecting the quality of surgical care and patient safety. Emergency surgery has been observed to have a higher incidence of different POC. The analysis of POC is of great importance due to their impact on the quality of life of patients and because they have become an indicator to measure the quality of hospital services. Objective This study aimed to describe the POC of emergency surgeries in patients from the general surgery department of a referral hospital in eastern Venezuela. Methodology A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted, including patients undergoing emergency surgery at "Dr. Luis Razetti" University Hospital, Barcelona, Venezuela, between November 2022 and May 2023. Results Medical records of 178 patients were analyzed. Most were male (53.7%), with an average age of 34.98 and a standard deviation of 18.2 years. POC was registered in 28 (15.7%) patients, with surgical site infection being the most common in 21 (39.62%) patients. Those over 65 years old (21.4% vs. 6.4%, p=0.013), patients with a history of hypertension (25% vs. 6.3%, p=0.002), hypoalbuminemia (100% vs. 43.8%, p=0.027), diagnosed with peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation (21.4% vs. 6%, p=0.007), trauma (25% vs. 9.3%, p=0.018), and those with a midline incision (75% vs. 31.3%, p<0.001) had a higher frequency of POC. There was a mortality rate of 2.8% with no significant difference based on the development of POC. Conclusion POC represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing emergency surgeries. The studied sample showed a similar frequency of POC compared to previous reports but with lower mortality. Complications were associated with higher frequencies of hypertension, midline approach, hypoalbuminemia, and emergency surgery for peritonitis due to hollow viscus perforation and trauma.
RESUMO
Obesity is one of the primary public health problems faced by children. The increased incidence of obesity in the pediatric population poses significant challenges during and after surgical procedures. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to understand to what extent obesity is to surgical complications in pediatric patients. A systematic database search of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct was performed in June 2023. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two evaluators independently conducted literature screening, data extraction, and quality evaluation of the retrieved literature. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score was used for quality evaluation, and a meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager software 5.4.1. A total of 1,170 relevant articles were initially identified, and 20 articles were finally included for data extraction and meta-analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed that compared with normal-weight individuals, obese pediatric patients had a higher risk of developing surgical site infection (SSI) (relative risk (RR) = 1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.33-2.00), wound dehiscence (RR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.24-3.23), and underwent procedures that were 11.32 minutes longer (95% CI = 5.36-17.29). There were no differences in bleeding requiring transfusion, deep venous thromboembolism, postoperative abscess rate, and length of stay. Obese pediatric patients have a higher risk of SSI and dehiscence, along with a longer operative time. The established risks in obese adults undergoing surgery suggest a similar risk for obese pediatric patients. The findings of this study hold significant implications for clinical practice, suggesting the potential for additional measures to prevent surgical complications in children.