Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Postoperative Constipation in Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery: A Cross-Sectional and Prospective Study

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the potential influencing factors of postoperative constipation in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Methods: This study included a cohort of 379 patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. The patient cohort was stratified into two groups based on the presence or absence of postoperative constipation. Utilizing logistic regression analysis, both univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to elucidate the factors influencing defecation problems. The predictive accuracy of the findings was subsequently evaluated through the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: Among the cohort of 379 patients subjected to cardiovascular surgery, a noteworthy 20.8% (n = 79) reported incidences of postoperative defecation issues. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.063, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.034–1.097, p < 0.001), operation time (OR = 1.004, 95% CI: 1.000–1.008, p = 0.028), ventilator usage time (OR = 1.032, 95% CI: 1.010–1.055, p = 0.004), polypharmacy (OR = 2.134, 95% CI: 1.069–4.321, p = 0.032), use of cough medicine (OR = 2.981, 95% CI: 1.271–6.942, p = 0.011) and psychological or behavioral barriers to defecation in the hospital environment (OR = 31.039, 95% CI: 14.313–73.179, p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for postoperative constipation in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. The area under the curve (AUC) for predicting postoperative constipation was 0.885. Conclusion: In the pursuit of optimizing postoperative recovery and mitigating postoperative constipation incidence, a targeted approach is imperative. Specifically, a focused intervention directed towards elderly patients, extended operation and prolonged ventilator durations, polypharmacy regimens, use of cough medicine, and those with psychological or behavioral barriers to defecation within the hospital milieu emerges as pivotal.