Thirty-Day Outcomes After Open Revascularization for Acute Mesenteric Ischemia From the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Background: Open revascularization for acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) is associated with high perioperative morbidity and mortality; however, results from contemporary studies are varied. Therefore, we evaluated 30-day mortality after open revascularization for AMI and identified preoperative factors associated with mortality.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database undergoing open mesenteric revascularization for AMI from 2005 to 2017. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify preoperative factors independently associated with 30-day mortality.

Results: The study cohort included 918 patients; their median age was 70 years (interquartile range: 59-80 years), 62% were female, and 90% were white. Thirty-day mortality after open revascularization for AMI was 32%, specifically 35% after embolectomy, 31% after thromboendarterectomy, and 28% after mesenteric bypass. Mortality was higher in patients requiring concomitant bowel resection (38% vs. 29%, respectively, P < 0.01). The preoperative factor most strongly associated with 30-day mortality was disseminated cancer (odds ratio = 8.8, 95% confidence interval = 2.4-32, P = 0.001). Other factors independently associated with mortality were renal dysfunction, preoperative intubation, preoperative blood transfusion, diabetes, elevated preoperative international normalized ratio, elevated preoperative white blood cell count, and increasing age.

Conclusions: In this retrospective cohort study using a real-world, nationwide cohort, open revascularization for AMI was associated with high mortality, with nearly one-third of patients dying within 30 days of their operation. The factors identified to be independently associated with 30-day mortality, particularly disseminated cancer, preoperative renal dysfunction, and elevated preoperative WBC count, are an important tool for preoperative risk stratification.