Risk factors for major complications following pelvic exenteration: A NSQIP study

Due to the rarity of pelvic exenteration surgery, it is challenging to predict which patients are at an increased risk for postoperative complications. We aimed to study the predictors for postoperative complications among women undergoing pelvic exenteration for gynecologic malignancy.

We used the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program registry to evaluate postoperative course and complications of those patients undergoing pelvic exenteration in the period 2012-2022. The primary objective of the analysis was to estimate the major postoperative complications following pelvic exenteration.

Overall, 794 pelvic exenterations were included. Of those, 56.5 % were anterior exenteration, 43.5 % were posterior exenteration, and 13.9 % were a combined exenteration. The rate of minor complications was 72.5 % (n = 576), and the rate of major complications was 31.5 % (n = 250). The most common minor complications were blood transfusion (n = 538, 67.8 %), followed by superficial surgical site infections (SSI) and urinary tract infections (9.8 % and 9.4 %, respectively). Among the major complications, the most common was organ/space SSI (11.2 %), followed by sepsis (9.2 %), reoperation (8.6 %), and wound dehiscence (5.2 %). Death within 30 days occurred in 1.5 % of patients. In multivariable regression analysis, the following factors were independently associated with major complications: higher BMI [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.03 95 % confidence interval (CI) (1.01-1.05)], diabetes [aOR 1.82 95 % CI (1.13-3.22)], low serum albumin [aOR 0.73 95 % CI (0.54-0.98)], and high serum creatinine [aOR 1.70 95 % CI (1.05-2.77)].

Major postoperative complications occur in approximately one third of pelvic exenterations for gynecologic malignancies. Our study highlights independent factors associated with major postoperative complications, of which some are potentially modifiable.