Postoperative complications after non-obstetric surgery among pregnant patients in the National Surgical Quality...

To examine whether pregnant patients have higher risk of major 30-day postoperative complications compared with their non-pregnant counterparts after non-obstetric surgery.

A secondary analysis of the prospective National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) from 2005 to 2012 of pregnant patients 18-51 years old, without surgery in the preceding 30 days, and who underwent a non-obstetrical operation. The primary outcome was composite 30-day major postoperative complications. We used modified Poisson regression.

Among 354,251 assessed patients, 3655 (1%) were pregnant. The overall incidence of 30-day major postoperative complication was 6%, and did not vary by pregnancy status. Pregnant patients were not at higher risk of 30-day major postoperative complications compared to non-pregnant patients following non-obstetric surgery. This held for most procedures, except pregnant patients were at a higher risk of complications with colorectal and hernia surgeries. Secondarily, pregnant patients were at higher risk of transfusion.

Pregnant patients are generally not at higher risk of major postoperative complications following non-obstetric surgery. This information can be used when counseling pregnant patients about the risks versus benefits of non-obstetric surgery.