Table 1

Characteristics of patients who underwent nonbiliary, nonappendiceal operative interventions by the emergency general surgery service at the 6 participating sites

CharacteristicNo. (%) of patients*p value
Overall
n = 2595		No complication
n = 1688		Complication
n = 907
Age, median (IQR), yr60 (46–73)57 (44–70)65 (52–77)0.001
Male sex1312 (50.7)845 (50.2)467 (51.5)0.5
Comorbidities1282 (49.4)780 (46.2)502 (55.3)0.001
 Diabetes352 (13.6)220 (13.0)132 (14.6)0.3
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease150 (5.8)75 (4.4)75 (8.3)0.001
 Congestive heart failure85 (3.3)37 (2.2)48 (5.3)< 0.001
 Coronary artery disease188 (7.2)95 (5.6)93 (10.3)< 0.001
 Hypertension639 (24.6)371 (22.0)268 (29.5)0.001
 Steroid use64 (2.5)33 (1.9)31 (3.6)0.02
 Bleeding disorder52 (2.0)31 (1.8)21 (2.4)0.3
 Metastatic cancer159 (6.1)85 (5.0)74 (8.2)0.002
 Dialysis54 (2.1)24 (1.4)30 (3.4)0.002
 Smoking296 (11.4)194 (11.5)102 (11.2)0.9
 Total no. of comorbidities, median (IQR)0 (0–1)0 (0–1)1 (0–2)< 0.001
3 most common diagnoses (%)

  • Small bowl obstruction (15.5)

  • Hernia (15.0)

  • Colonic neoplasm (9.2)

  • Hernia (15.4)

  • Small bowel obstruction (15.2)

  • Perianal abscess (11.7)

  • Small bowel obstruction (16.3)

  • Colonic neoplasm (12.4)

  • Hernia (9.4)

—
Major operative procedure†1936 (74.6)1179 (68.2)757 (83.5)< 0.001
Urgency, h
 < 2376 (14.5)217 (12.8)159 (17.5)< 0.001
 < 8882 (34.0)625 (37.0)257 (28.3)
 < 24542 (20.9)381 (22.6)161 (17.8)
 < 48341 (13.1)244 (14.4)97 (10.7)
 Missing454 (17.5)221 (13.1)233 (25.7)
ASA grade
 1143 (5.5)121 (7.2)22 (2.4)< 0.001
 2464 (17.9)362 (21.4)102 (11.2)
 3779 (30.0)546 (32.3)233 (25.7)
 4582 (22.4)332 (19.7)250 (27.6)
 594 (3.6)41 (2.4)53 (5.8)
 Missing533 (20.5)286 (16.9)247 (27.2)
 1–3607 (23.4)483 (28.7)124 (13.7)
 4–51455 (56.1)919 (54.4)536 (59.1)
Transferred from another centre176 (9.5)92 (7.3)84 (13.9)< 0.001
Procedure at another centre37 (19.3)16 (15.2)21 (24.1)0.1
Operation at another centre27 (15.3)10 (10.9)17 (20.2)0.08
Died206 (7.9)61 (3.6)145 (16.0)< 0.001

  • ASA = American Society of Anesthesiology; IQR = interquartile range.

  • ↵* Except where noted otherwise.

  • ↵† Included bowel resection, hernia repair, surgery in trauma cases and débridement of necrotizing soft tissue infection.