Background: The association between pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and postoperative outcomes remains unknown. This study investigated outcomes following non-chest surgeries in patients with previous pulmonary TB.
Methods: Using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database, we analyzed 6911 patients (aged ≥ 20 years) with preoperative diagnosis of pulmonary TB and 6911 propensity score-matched controls receiving non-chest surgeries in 2008-2010. Postoperative outcomes were compared between patients with or without pulmonary TB by calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in the multivariate logistic regressions.
Results: Surgical patients with pulmonary TB had a significantly higher postoperative complication rates than controls, including septicemia, pneumonia, acute renal failure, deep wound infection, overall complications, and 30-day postoperative mortality (OR 1.41; 95% CI 1.07-1.86). The ORs of patients with low-income status were as high as 2.27 (95% CI 1.03-5.03). Preoperative use of TB drugs and TB-related medical expenditure also associated with higher postoperative mortality among surgical patients with pulmonary TB.
Conclusions: Surgical patients with pulmonary TB have significantly increased risks of postoperative complications and mortality after non-chest surgeries. This study suggests the need to improve postoperative care for surgical patients with pulmonary TB.