Perioperative Mortality: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 75,446 Noncardiac Surgery Patients

Objective

To evaluate whether major adverse cardiac events (MACE) continue to be a major causative factor for mortality after noncardiac surgery.

Patients and Methods

We performed retrospective study of 75,410 adult noncardiac surgery patients at Mayo Clinic Rochester, between January 1, 2016, and May 4, 2018. Electronic medical records were reviewed and data collected on all deaths within 30 days (n=692 patients) of surgery. The incidence of death due to MACE was calculated.

Results

Postoperative MACE occurred in 150 patients (21.4 events per 10,000 patients; 95% CI, 18.2-25.2 events per 10,000 patients) with most occurring within 3 days of surgery (n=113). Postoperative MACE events were associated with atrial fibrillation with rapid rate response in 25 patients (16.7%), sepsis in 15 patients (10%), and bleeding in 15 patients (10%). There were 12 intraoperative deaths of which 9 were due to exsanguination (75%) and the remaining 3 (25%) due to cardiac arrest. Of the 56 deaths on the first 24 hours after surgery, 7 were due to hemorrhage, 17 due to cardiovascular causes, 20 due to sepsis, and 7 due to neurologic disease. The leading cause of total death over 30 days postoperatively was sepsis (28%), followed by malignancy (27%), cardiovascular disease (12%) neurologic disease (12%), and hemorrhage (5%).

Conclusion

MACE was not the leading cause of death both intraoperatively and postoperatively.