Predictors of Lee et al for 30-Day Mortality Following Emergency Colectomy for Clostridium difficile Colitis

Patient selection: status post emergency colectomy for Clostridium difficile colitis

Predictors for 30-day mortality from multivariate analysis:

(1) age (adjusted OR 1.7 if 61-79; adjusted OR 9.0 if >= 80 years)

(2) preoperative septic shock (adjusted OR 2.8)

(3) preoperative severe COPD (adjusted OR 3.7)

(4) preoperative dialysis dependence (adjusted OR 2.3)

(5) postoperative cardiac arrest (adjusted OR 5.5)

(6) CDC wound classification contaminated (adjusted OR 2.1)

(7) preoperative platelet count < 150,000 per microliter (adjusted OR 2.1)

(8) preoperative INR > 2 (adjusted OR 2.5)

(9) preoperative serum BUN > 40 mg/dL (adjusted OR 2.3)

Most of the predictors are known prior to surgery, so they can identify a patient for whom surgery may be futile.