Postoperative mortality in inflammatory bowel disease patients

Since the 1960s, mortality in Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis patients had a significant decrease due to advances in medical and surgical therapy. An important proportion of these patients are submitted to surgical procedures during their disease course, with postoperative mortality between 4 and 10%. Methods 157 inflammatory bowel disease patients submitted to surgical therapy were retrospectively identified and allocated in 2 groups (Crohn's and colitis). Deaths were individually discriminated in detail. Results 281 surgical procedures were performed. In the colitis group, 43 operations were performed in 24 patients; in the abdominal Crohn's subgroup, 127 procedures in 90 patients and in the perineal Crohn's subgroup, 115 in 64 patients, respectively. Nine postoperative deaths were observed (3 in the colitis and 6 in the Crohn's groups). Overall postoperative mortality was 5.7% (4.5% for Crohn's; 6.6% in abdominal Crohn's and 12.5% for Colitis). Most of deaths were related to emergency procedures and previous use of corticosteroids. The cause of death in all patients was sepsis. Conclusions Overall postoperative mortality in inflammatory bowel disease was 5.7%, and it was attributed to the severity of the cases referred.