Is Psychiatric Illness Associated With Risk for Postoperative Complications in the Outpatient Setting?

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Psychiatry
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• The relationship between psychiatric illness and postoperative complications in oral and maxillofacial surgery is not well-understood.
• Understanding this association is crucial for optimizing patient care and managing surgical risks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of psychiatric illness on the incidence of postoperative complications in patients undergoing outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study analyzed 3,874 patients from electronic health records in 2018.
• Psychiatric illness was the predictor variable, and postoperative complications were the outcome variable.
• Multivariate logistic regression was used, controlling for age, race, sex, procedure, and anesthesia type.

Main Results:

• A significant portion of patients (21.37%) had a psychiatric diagnosis.
• The overall rate of postoperative complications was 11.33%.
• No statistically significant association was found between psychiatric history and postoperative complications (OR = 1.049, P = .695). Sex, procedure type, and anesthesia type were significant factors.

Conclusions:

• Despite a higher prevalence of psychiatric illnesses, no significant correlation with postoperative complications was observed.
• No differences in complication rates were found across different psychiatric diagnostic categories.