Postoperative Complications After Total Thyroidectomy for Patients With Graves’ Disease

Objective To identify the rates and types of postoperative complications in patients with and without Graves’ disease undergoing total thyroidectomy using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting All hospitals participating in NSQIP from 2007 to 2017. Methods Thyroidectomy data were ed from the NSQIP database from 2007 to 2017 using related Current Procedural Terminology codes. Exclusion criteria included diagnosis of malignancy and partial thyroidectomy. Patients with a diagnosis of Graves’ disease were compared against the control group, which consisted of other nononcologic diagnoses. Statistical analysis including matched pair analysis was performed. Results Unmatched data demonstrated that patients with Graves’ disease who underwent total thyroidectomy (n = 5495) had a higher rate of readmission (odds ratio [OR], 1.41; 95% CI, 1.16‐1.73) and rate of reoperation (OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.88‐2.79) in comparison to control patients (n = 24,213). They also had a higher rate of postoperative complication (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.23‐1.93) especially for wound‐related outcomes (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.32‐2.69), readmission for postoperative hypocalcemia (OR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.54‐2.92), and reoperation for hematoma or hemorrhage (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.32‐2.69). A matched‐pair analysis of the data also demonstrated similar significant results. Conclusion Patients with Graves’ disease undergoing total thyroidectomy are at higher risk of complications in comparison to those who do not have Graves’ disease, likely due to sequelae of the disease. However, overall rates were low, suggesting that the procedure remains relatively low risk and should continue to be offered to select patients who meet criteria for surgery.