Surgery ·
Sociobehavioral Comorbidities Linked to Complications After Colectomy in Veterans
An observational study of 38,188 U.S. Veterans undergoing elective colectomy found that several sociobehavioral comorbidities were associated with higher odds of 30-day postoperative complications. Associations were strongest for comorbidities identified within 90 days before surgery, and odds rose with increasing comorbidity burden.
- Study included 38,188 Veterans undergoing elective colectomy.
- Several sociobehavioral factors were associated with higher complication odds.
- Four to six recent factors corresponded to 80% higher odds.
- Observational findings do not establish causation or an effective intervention.
Researchers analyzed Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program data for 38,188 Veterans who underwent elective colectomy from 2009 to 2025. Using health-record data, they assessed six sociobehavioral comorbidity phenotypes—mental health disorder, suicide risk, substance use, social isolation, housing instability and food insecurity—within three preoperative windows: 90 days, 365 days and lifetime. The outcome was any VASQIP-defined complication within 30 days; multilevel logistic regression estimated associations.
The cohort had a median age of 66 years; 5% were female, 30% were non-white, and 48% had cancer. Mental health disorder, social isolation and substance use were each associated with 8%–40% higher odds of complications across ascertainment windows. In the 90-day window, one sociobehavioral comorbidity was associated with 16% higher odds (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.16, 95% CI 1.09–1.23), while four to six were associated with 80% higher odds (aOR 1.80, 95% CI 1.32–2.36).
The findings identify an association, not a causal effect, and do not establish that intervening on these factors reduces complications. Applicability may also be limited beyond the predominantly male Veteran cohort. The study suggests sociobehavioral burden may be relevant to surgical risk assessment, but provides no tested risk-management strategy.
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Annals of Surgery: Sociobehavioral Comorbidities and Outcomes After Colectomy in a National United States Veteran Cohort ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.