Prevalence and associated factors of postoperative orthostatic intolerance at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2022: cross sectional study

BACKGROUND: Postoperative orthostatic intolerance is an inability to maintain an upright position because of symptoms of cerebral hypoperfusion. It is a common problem in the early postoperative period and hinders early mobilization, however, there is limited information about factors associated with it. Thus, the main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and identify factors associated with postoperative orthostatic intolerance. METHOD: Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 08 to July 20, 2022, at University of Gondar comprehensive Specialized Hospital. A semi-structured questionnaire containing sociodemographic variables and perioperative factors related to anesthesia and surgery was used for data collection. The presence of postoperative orthostatic intolerance during the first ambulation was evaluated with a standardized symptom checklist which contains symptoms of orthostatic intolerance. Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to assess factors associated with postoperative orthostatic intolerance. In multivariable regression, variables with P-value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULT: A total of 420 patients were included in this study with a response rate of 99.06%. Postoperative orthostatic intolerance was experienced in 254 (60.5%) participants. Being female (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI = 1.06–4.86), low BMI (AOR = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.71–0.95), ASA II and above (AOR = 3.34; 95% CI = 1.34–8.28), low diastolic blood pressure (AOR = 0.82; 95% CI = 0.88–0.99), general anesthesia (AOR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.31–8.12), high intraoperative blood lose (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88–0.99), high postoperative fluid intake (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.23–3.55), pain before ambulation (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.28–3.11) and pain during ambulation (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.23–2.69) were the significant factors associated with orthostatic intolerance. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that postoperative orthostatic intolerance was experienced in nearly two-thirds of participants. During the time of ambulation, assessing patients for the presence of orthostatic intolerance is necessary to reduce the adverse effects of postoperative OI. In addition, maintaining preoperative normotension, reducing intraoperative blood loss and optimizing postoperative pain control is recommended to reduce the risk of postoperative orthostatic intolerance.