Alcohol withdrawal syndrome worsens cancer surgery outcomes

Source: www.oncologyreport.com/ Author: Damian McNamara Patients with head and neck cancers who develop alcohol withdrawal syndrome perioperatively experience significantly more complications after undergoing surgery, a large database analysis indicates. The presence of withdrawal symptoms was associated with a 25% incidence of postoperative complications, compared with 14% among patients who abused alcohol and 7% among those without alcohol abuse, Dr. Dane J. Genther said at the Triological Society’s Combined Sections Meeting. The risk for wound complications was nearly double in this population (odds ratio, 1.9). Dr. Genther, a resident in otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and his associates used ICD-9 codes in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample discharge database to identify more than 92,000 patients who underwent an ablative procedure for head and neck cancer in 2003-2008. The retrospective, cross-sectional study included patients with malignant oral cavity, laryngeal, hypopharyngeal, and oropharyngeal neoplasms. In a multivariate analysis, alcohol withdrawal syndrome was significantly more likely for patients undergoing a major procedure (OR, 2.0) and was significantly associated with Medicare payer status and a need for additional health care following discharge, Dr. Genther said. The researchers found no significant association between alcohol withdrawal syndrome and increased risk for postoperative infections or in-hospital mortality, but there was a significant increase in hospital stay and related costs associated with the syndrome. Having a major procedure and experiencing alcohol withdrawal contributed approximately $15,000 per admission in 2011 U.S. dollars, Dr. Genther said. The findings point to a need for alternatives to current alcohol [...]