Scoring Systems May be Effective in Predicting Mortality Associated with Palliative Emergency Gastrointestinal...

Area of Science:

• Surgical Oncology
• Palliative Care
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Palliative emergency gastrointestinal surgery carries substantial risks.
• Limited research exists on surgical outcomes in palliative patients.
• Decision-making requires careful benefit-harm assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• Evaluate morbidity and mortality in palliative emergency gastrointestinal surgery.
• Assess the utility of scoring systems in predicting outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 93 adult patients (2015-2016).
• Assessed pre- and post-operative functional status, morbidity, and mortality.
• Evaluated American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, ACS NSQIP SRC, and Palliative Index (PI) for predictive value.

Main Results:

• Post-operative complication rate was 37%; in-hospital mortality was 14%.
• One-year mortality reached 87%.
• ASA and ACS NSQIP SRC predicted post-operative mortality, but not morbidity.

Conclusions:

• Palliative emergency laparotomy is linked to high post-operative mortality and morbidity.
• ASA score and ACS NSQIP SRC are valuable predictors of mortality in this population.