Risk factors for 30-day soft tissue complications after pelvic sarcoma surgery: A National Surgical Quality...

Soft tissue (ST) complications after resection of bone and ST sarcomas of the pelvis occur more frequently than in appendicular tumors. We sought to identify risk factors for complications within 30 days of surgery.

The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was used for this study. Patients with sarcomas of bone and ST of the pelvis were retrieved using Current Procedural Terminology and International Classification of Diseases codes. Outcomes assessed were ST complications, overall complication rates, 30-day reoperation, and mortality.

A total of 770 patients with pelvic bone and ST sarcoma were included. The ST complication rate was 12.6%, including 4.9% superficial and 4.7% deep surgical site infections. Higher ST complication rates were seen in patients >30 years, with partially dependent health status, hematocrit <30%, bone tumors, tumor >5 cm, amputation procedures, and longer operative times. ST complication rates were 1.5 and 3 times higher in pelvic sarcoma surgeries than in the lower and upper extremities, respectively. Age >30 years (odds ratio [OR] = 5.07), hematocrit <30% (OR = 1.84), operative time 1-3 h (OR = 2.97), and >3 h (OR = 4.89) were risk factors for ST complications.

One in nine patients with pelvic sarcoma surgery will develop ST complications within 30 days. Risk factors for ST complications were age >30, hematocrit <30%, and longer operative time.