Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39354640›Full record

ArticlePatient safety in surgery2024

Association between postoperative complications and hospital length of stay: a large-scale observational study of 4,495,582 patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) registry.

Garrett L Healy, Christina M Stuart, Adam R Dyas, Michael R Bronsert, Robert A Meguid, Tochi Anioke, Ahmad M Hider, Richard D Schulick, William G Henderson

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Patient safety in surgery, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Garrett L HealySurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA. Garrett.Healy@cuanschutz.edu.
Christina M StuartSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Adam R DyasSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Michael R BronsertSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Robert A MeguidSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Tochi AniokeSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Ahmad M HiderSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
Richard D SchulickSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
William G HendersonSurgical Outcomes and Applied Research Program, Department of Surgery, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12631 E 17 Ave #6117, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPrecise estimates of risk-adjusted increases in postoperative length of stay (LOS) associated with postoperative complications across a range of complications and operations are not available in the existing literature.

methodsAssociations between preoperative characteristics, postoperative complications and postoperative LOS were tested using medians, interquartile ranges, and nonparametric rank sum tests in a retrospective cohort study using the 2005-2018 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) dataset. A negative binomial model was used with postoperative LOS as the dependent variable and preoperative characteristics and postoperative complications as independent variables. The model was applied to estimate each patient's postoperative LOS with and without each postoperative complication to measure the association between each complication and risk-adjusted change in postoperative LOS.

resultsA total of 4,495,582 patients were included. After risk-adjustment, occurrence of each postoperative complication was associated with significantly increased postoperative LOS (between + 3.9 and + 20.1 days, p < 0.0001). The longest risk-adjusted postoperative LOS increases were associated with prolonged ventilator use (+ 20.1 days), wound disruption (+ 19.4 days), and acute renal failure (+ 17.1 days).

conclusionOccurrence of any postoperative complication was associated with increased risk-adjusted postoperative LOS. Degree of increase varied by complication. These data could be useful for patient counseling, allocation of resources, discharge planning, and quality improvement efforts.

Indexed as

ACS-NSQIPLOSPostoperative complicationsPostoperative length of stayRisk-adjusted

Identifiers

PMID39354640
PMCPMC11443812

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.