Prevalence and risk factors for early medical and surgical complications following an admission for acute severe ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND: Risk factors for colectomy following an episode of acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) have been well studied, but data examining the early complications following an episode is limited. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for medical and surgical complications within 90 days of an ASUC admission and determine if a high-intensity induction infliximab dose is associated with these complications. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of ASUC admissions between January 2015 and July 2021 at a tertiary hospital. The primary outcome was the prevalence of total, medical and surgical complications within 90 days following an ASUC admission. Multivariate linear regression analysis assessed for factors associated with the prevalence of complications. RESULTS: A total of 150 patients had 186 hospital admissions for ASUC. In total, 101/186 (54.3%) admissions required rescue medical therapy. Standard infliximab induction occurred in 65/100 admissions, accelerated infliximab induction in 35/100 and cyclosporine in 1/100 of admissions. In total, 117 complications, including 74/117 (63.2%) medical and 43/117 (36.8%) surgical complications, arose. Low serum albumin was independently associated with a higher incidence of total [β = −0.08 (95% confidence interval (CI): −0.15, −0.01), p = 0.03] and surgical complications [β = −0.1 (95% CI: −0.18, −0.001), p = 0.047], while an increased age was associated with increased incidence of surgical complications [β = 0.06 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.12), p = 0.02]. A higher Charlson score was associated with increased medical complications [β = 0.12 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.24), p = 0.03]. Infliximab induction dose intensity was not associated with an increased incidence of any complications. CONCLUSION: Early complications following an ASUC admission is prevalent although the majority are not serious. Risk factors associated with complications include low serum albumin, older age and a higher comorbidity score. Induction infliximab dose intensity, however, is not a risk factor.