Prevalence of Comorbid Diseases and Impact on Anaesthesia Outcomes in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajhs.v38i3.7

Abstract

Background: The risk associated with anaesthesia increases when surgical patients present with diseases other than the one for which surgery is intended. The anaesthetist is tasked with managing comorbidities in the perioperative period. This observational, cohort study aims to identify perioperative comorbidities, determine their prevalence and the impact they have on anaesthesia outcome.

Methodology: This observational cohort study was carried out at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, and 215 patients presenting for elective surgery were interviewed preoperatively and their records reviewed using a checklist. Subsequently, they were followed up after surgery for twenty-four hours to retrieve intraoperative and postoperative details and also the outcome of surgery. The results from this study were expressed as frequencies or proportions of total, means and standard deviations. Associations were assessed using Student's t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for comparisons of means, while the chi-square test was used for categorical variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, corresponding to a 95% confidence level.

Results: Of the patients enrolled in the study, 68 had at least one comorbid condition, yielding a comorbidity prevalence of 31.63%. Hypertension was the most frequent, with 52 (76.47%) patients, followed by obesity in 21 (30.88%) and diabetes mellitus in 9 (13.24%) patients. The mean duration of comorbidities was 7.91(6.78) years. Notably, patients with comorbidities had an increased rate of intraoperative complications and case cancellations (odds ratio 12.444, 95% CI 3.441 to 45.009 and P= 0.000).

Conclusion: Adult surgical patients scheduled for elective surgical procedures frequently have comorbidities resulting in increased perioperative complications and case cancellations.