Incidence and Risk Factors of Postoperative Complications After Rhinoplasty: A Multi-Institutional ACS-NSQIP Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Despite the popularity of rhinoplasty, outcome research has been mainly limited to single-surgeon or single-institution reports. Therefore, we performed a multi-institutional analysis to present a broader portrait of the postoperative outcomes and risk factors for adverse events after rhinoplasty surgery. Methods: We reviewed the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database (2009–2019) to identify patients who underwent rhinoplasty. The postoperative outcomes of interest included 30-day mortality, reoperation, readmission, and surgical and medical complications. We also analyzed risk factors for complication occurrence, including patient comorbidities and preoperative laboratory values. Results: We identified 835 patients, 72% (n=602) of whom underwent a primary, 21% (n=175) a secondary, and 6.7% (n=58) a cleft nasal deformity procedure. The average patient age was 41±17 years, with most patients being female (n=472; 57%) and white (n=643; 77%). Complications rates were generally low, with reoperation (n=19; 2.3%) and superficial incisional infection (n=9; 1.1%) account for the most common general and surgical adverse event, respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed male sex (P=0.04) and higher ASA scores (P<0.0001) as risk factors for complications. Low serum albumin (P=0.04) and hematocrit (P=0.003) levels were associated with the occurrence of any complication, whereas low serum albumin (P=0.02) also correlated with the incidence of surgical adverse events. Conclusion: Complication rates after rhinoplasty were overall low and seemed to correlate with male sex and ASA scores. We identified preoperative albumin and hematocrit as predictive biomarkers of adverse events. Preoperative nutritional optimization and management of low hematocrit may improve postoperative outcomes.