Age adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (a‐CCI) AS a tool to predict 30‐day post‐operative outcome in general surgery patients

INTRODUCTION: Age adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (a-CCI) is an established scoring system to predict long-term mortality. However, its role in predicting 30-day post-operative outcome in general surgery patients is not well elucidated. METHODS: This was a prospective observational study. Consecutive patients operated under general anaesthesia between January 2019 and December 2020 were enrolled. Their a-CCI was calculated and stratified as Grade 0 comorbidities (a-CCI score = 0), Grade A comorbidities (a-CCI score = 1 and 2) and Grade B comorbidities (a-CCI score ≥ 3). Post-operative complications were graded according to Clavien Dindo (CD) grading system and classified as minor complications (CD Grades I and II), major complications (CD Grades III-IV) and mortality (CD Grade V). Binary logistic regression and multi-nominal logistic regression analysis were done and relative risk ratios were calculated. RESULT: A total of 925 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 42.75 (14-85 ± 10) years. 31% of our patients had complications within 30 days of surgery which included mortality in 2.7%. Compared with patients with Grade 0 comorbidities, the odds of getting complications is 1.2 times more in patients with Grade A comorbidities and 1.84 times more in patients with Grade B comorbidities (P = 0.205, 0.001 respectively). In comparison to patients with Grade 0 co-morbidities, risk of mortality is 3 and 17.86 times more in patients with Grade A and Grade B comorbidities (P = 0.121 and < 0.001 respectively). CONCLUSION: a-CCI has clinical relevance in general surgical patients and can predict early post-operative outcome. It should be a part of our armamentarium for pre-operative assessment of surgical patients.