US National Estimates of Contemporary Mortality Rates in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Colectomy

Despite a growing armamentarium of medical therapies for ulcerative colitis, colectomy remains an important therapeutic option. To better inform shared decision-making about surgery, we estimated the contemporary risk of mortality after colectomy.

Mortality rates were estimated using the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2020). Factors associated with postcolectomy death were evaluated in multivariable regression.

Postcolectomy mortality occurred in 1.2% (95% CI: 0.8%, 1.9%) of hospitalizations. Comorbidity burden, emergent laparotomy, and delays to surgery >5 days after admission were associated with mortality.

Colectomy may be associated with mortality; however, this risk is heterogeneous based on patient- and procedural-related factors.