US National Estimates of Contemporary Mortality Rates in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Undergoing Colectomy

Objective: Despite a growing armamentarium of medical therapies for ulcerative colitis (UC), colectomy remains an important therapeutic option. To better inform shared decision-making about surgery, we estimated the contemporary risk of mortality post-colectomy. Methods: Mortality rates were estimated using the National Inpatient Sample (2016-2020). Factors associated with post-colectomy death were evaluated in multivariable regression. Results: Post-colectomy mortality occurred in 1.2% [95% CI: 0.8%, 1.9%] of hospitalizations. Comorbidity burden, emergent laparotomy, and delays to surgery >5 days after admission were associated with mortality. Conclusions: Colectomy may be associated with mortality; however, this risk is heterogeneous based on patient- and procedural-related factors.