Article
Experiences with the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications in neurosurgery
Erfahrungen mit der Clavien-Dindo Klassifikation der chirurgischen Komplikationen in der Neurochirurgie
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Published: | June 4, 2021 |
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Objective: The standardized Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications is widely applied in various surgical disciplines, and it is declared as an effective instrument for quality management. This study aimed to evaluate the neurosurgical complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications and represent the experiences with it in neurosurgery.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a period of care between June 2017 and December 2019 in our neurosurgical department. The evaluated complications were rated according to the Clavien-Dindo classification of surgical complications. The range of complications was compared with the length of stay and statistically analyzed using two-sided Spearman’s rank correlation coefficients.
Results: The study included overall 1681 operations at 1530 patients. Complications occurred in 17.7 % (n=271) of patients, of which 43,9% (n=119) had some postoperative neurological disturbances. 40.2% of complications were rated as grade 1, 15.1% as grade 2, 4.1% as grade 3a, 27.7% as grade 3b, 4.8% as grade 4a, 4.4% as grade 4b and 3,7% as grade 5. Patients with a higher rank of complications experienced significantly longer lengths of hospital stay. The severity level of postoperative occurred neurological disturbances didn't frequently match with the Clavien-Dindo ranking system.
Conclusion: The Clavien-Dindo classification can easily be used in neurosurgery to document the rates of general, surgical complications, but it is insufficient and can not be validated to describe the severity of postoperative occurred, neurological disturbances, which are so frequent in neurosurgery.