The Study Of Evaluation Of Portsmouth Possum Scoring In Predicting Mortality And Morbidity And Also Identifying Risk Factors For Low Outcome In Abdominal Surgeries

Background: The Physiological and Operative Severity Scoring system for enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) and its modification, Portsmouth POSSUM(P-POSSUM) scoring system has been proposed as risk adjusted surgical scoring system for standardising method for the patient data, so as to allow the direct comparison in spite of different patterns of population and referral patterns. In this prospective study, the validity of P-POSSUM was tested in patients undergoing abdominal surgeries and risk factors for low outcome were noted. Methods: This is the prospective study and was conducted in Department of Surgery of a tertiary level hospital. The study period was from October 2020-September 2022. Patients admitted under department of general surgery scheduled to undergo abdominal surgeries both elective and emergencies were included and scored according to their physiological and operative findings using a proforma sheet. Physiological score was performed just before surgery and operative scoring was carried out intraoperatively. Patients were followed up for the first 30 days postoperative period. The observed mortality rate was compared with the P-POSSUM predicted mortality rate. Results: A total of 100 patients who met the inclusion criteria were included in this study. On applying linear analysis, an observed to expected ratio of 1.47 was obtained. There was no significant difference between the observed and predicted mortality rate. In all the risk factors studied, a positive correlation was found between deaths and higher POSSUM scores. Conclusion: Portsmouth POSSUM scoring system serves as a good predictor of post operative outcome in abdominal surgeries.