Patient outcomes after surgery in 17 Latin American countries (LASOS): a 7 day prospective cohort study

Abstract

Background: Access to safe surgical treatment across Latin America is limited by underfunded and fragmented health systems. Epidemiological data are required to describe surgical activity and patient outcomes.

Methods: We did this 7 day prospective cohort study in 17 Latin American countries, collecting data describing inpatient surgery in adults (aged ≥18 years). The primary outcome was in-hospital postoperative complications within 30 days after surgery. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, duration of hospital stay, and admission to critical care within 30 days after surgery. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05169164.

Findings: Between June 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, we included 22 126 patients (mean age 49·7 years [SD 18·2]; 9260 [41·9%] male and 12 866 [58·1%] female; 10 180 [46·0%] White) from 284 hospitals. Of the 22 126 patients, 657 (3·0%) patients for the outcome of complications and 380 (1·7%) patients for mortality had missing data. Most patients were low risk (American Society of Anesthesiologists [ASA] grade I or II: 17 311 [78·7%] of 21 979 patients), undergoing non-major surgery (14 944 [68·0%] of 21 986 patients), and on an elective basis (14 837 [67·5%] of 21 988 patients). Despite this low-risk profile, 3163 (14·6%) of 21 632 patients developed postoperative complications resulting in 477 (2·2%) deaths. The most frequent complication category was infection, affecting 1795 (8·2%) patients. The high mortality from complications (failure to rescue) of 15·1% (477 deaths in 3163 patients with complications) suggests significant problems with postoperative care. 2978 (13·6%) patients were admitted to a critical unit immediately after surgery, but 180 (37·7%) of 477 patients who died never received critical care. Patients with complications had a median hospital stay of 8 days (IQR 3-18), compared with 2 days (1-3) for patients without complications. Postoperative mortality and complications were strongly associated with increasing ASA grade, urgency of surgery, and grade of surgery (intermediate and major).

Interpretation: Patients receiving inpatient surgery in Latin America experienced high mortality rates, likely relating to standards of ward care after surgery. Given the rising demand for surgical treatments, resource-efficient measures are urgently needed to improve patient outcomes after surgery across Latin America.

Funding: None.

Translations: For the Spanish and Portuguese translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.