Incidence and predictors of perioperative mortality in a low-resource country, Ethiopia: a prospective follow-up study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the incidence and identify predictors of perioperative mortality among the adult age group at Tibebe Ghion Specialised Hospital.DesignA single-centre prospective follow-up study.SettingA tertiary hospital in North West Ethiopia.ParticipantsWe enrolled 2530 participants who underwent surgery in the current study. All adults aged 18 and above were included except those with no telephone.Primary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was time to death measured in days from immediate postoperative time up to the 28th day following surgery.ResultA total of 2530 surgical cases were followed for 67 145 person-days. There were 92 deaths, with an incidence rate of 1.37 (95% CI 1.11 to 1.68) deaths per 1000 person-day observations. Regional anaesthesia was significantly associated with lower postoperative mortality (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 0.18, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.62). Patients aged >= 65 years (AHR 3.04, 95% CI 1.65 to 5.75), American Society of Anesthesiologist (ASA) physical status III (AHR 2.41, 95% CI 1.1.13 to 5.16) and IV (AHR 2.74, 95% CI 1.08 to 6.92), emergency surgery (AHR 1.85, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.36) and preoperative oxygen saturation <95% (AHR 3.14, 95% CI 1.85 to 5.33) were significantly associated with a higher risk of postoperative mortality.ConclusionThe postoperative mortality rate at Tibebe Ghion Specialised Hospital was high. Age >= 65, ASA physical status III and IV, emergency surgery, and preoperative oxygen saturation <95% were significant predictors of postoperative mortality. Patients with the identified predictors should be offered targeted treatment.