Gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiovascular surgery: Predictors of in-hospital mortality.

Background: Risk factors for in-hospital mortality related to gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiovascular surgery have not been previously described.

Methods: Adult patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery followed by gastrointestinal surgery during the same admission between January 2010 and June 2023 were included. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to assess overall survival based on identified risk factors.

Results: Gastrointestinal complications requiring operative intervention after cardiac surgery occurred in 151 patients, with an overall in-hospital mortality of 35.76% (n = 54). The most common diagnosis was bowel ischemia (50.33%). On multivariable logistic regression, the history of cirrhosis (odds ratio: 37.96, 95% confidence interval: 3.57-543.90) and the clinical condition at the time of emergency general surgery consultation, described by elevated lactate (odds ratio: 5.76, 95% confidence interval: 1.71-22.82), platelets <50 × 10⁹/L (odds ratio: 11.34, 95% confidence interval: 1.60-162.37), ≥3 vasoactive medications (odds ratio: 4.93, 95% CI: 1.29-20.14), and the need for renal replacement therapy (odds ratio: 5.18, 95% confidence interval: 1.46-20.79) were predictive of in-hospital mortality. In-hospital mortality was low when none of the risk factors identified on multivariable analysis were present (2.38%, n = 1 of 42), but in-hospital mortality was universal among patients with 4-5 risk factors (100%, n = 8 of 8).

Conclusions: Gastrointestinal complications after cardiac surgery are disastrous when patient illness becomes severe. Clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for gastrointestinal complications to promote early involvement of general surgery. Knowledge of these risk factors could help guide discussions among the multidisciplinary care team, patients, and their families.