Impact of Preoperative Hospital Stay on Postoperative Complications in Elective Neurosurgical Procedures: A Retrospective Observational Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Nepal

Background and Aims Preoperative stay varies with patient and institutional factors. In Neurosurgery, at least 1 day of admission before any procedure is usually the norm. This study evaluates the correlation between preoperative length of stay (LOS) and postoperative complications, classified by the Clavien–Dindo classification, among patients undergoing elective neurosurgical procedures at a university hospital in Nepal. Methods We retrospectively reviewed records of 110 patients who underwent elective neurosurgery from June 2022 to June 2023. Data included demographics, comorbidities, preoperative LOS, total LOS, diagnosis, treatment, postoperative complications, and 3‐month outcomes. Results Of 110 patients, 54.5% (60/110) were male, with a median age of 35 years. Most (78.2%) had no comorbidities; hypertension was the most common (10.9%). The median total hospital stay was 13 days, with a median preoperative stay of 5.5 days. Postoperatively, 80.0% of patients required at least 1 day in the intensive care unit. The incidence of postoperative complications was 33.6% (37/110). Complications occurred in 33.6% of patients. Preoperative LOS was significantly associated with postoperative complications ( p = 0.045) but not with Clavien–Dindo grade ( p = 0.063). Total LOS was strongly associated with both postoperative complications ( p < 0.001) and complication severity by Clavien–Dindo classification ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Longer preoperative and total hospital stays were associated with increased postoperative complications, while total LOS was also linked with complication severity. These findings emphasize the influence of preoperative hospitalization on surgical outcomes. Optimizing preoperative management and minimizing unnecessary delays may reduce morbidity following neurosurgical procedures.