EVALUATING THE INCIDENCES OF COMPLICATIONS AFTER TOTAL THYROIDECTOMY

Abstract

Background: The issue of post-thyroidectomy complications is a major area of interest in the field of endocrine surgery, impacting safety, the length of stay of patients, and long-term quality of life. These problems could be due to a multifactorial interplay of patient factors, anatomy, and operative incidents. The objective of this study was to establish the prevalence of typical post-thyroidectomy complications and evaluate their relation to socio-demographic and clinical predictors.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational study design was used to collect data on 235 patients who had total thyroidectomy in a tertiary care facility. The variables gathered were age, gender, BMI, surgery indication, preoperative calcium levels, prior neck surgery, surgical time, and postoperative complications like hypocalcemia, recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury, dysphagia, hemorrhage, wound infection, and thyroid storm. Statistical analysis was conducted with the help of SPSS version 26.0. A chi-square analysis and an independent t-test were used, and the level of significance was p < 0.05.

Results: The most common complications were hypocalcemia (78 (33.2%), p = <0.001) and injury of the RLN (19 (8.1%), p = 0.029). It revealed significant correlations between complications and age(p=0.031), gender(p=0.012), BMI(p=0.029), preoperative calcium levels(p=0.003), previous neck surgery(p=0.041), and intraoperative blood loss(p=0.017). The occurrence of dysphagia and wound infection was relatively lower and did not reach statistical significance. No incidences of thyroid storm were noted.

Conclusion: Hypocalcemia and nerve injury were the most frequently occurring post-thyroidectomy complications with a clear exposure to modifiable risk factors. Some complications may be reduced through preoperative calcium correction, thorough surgical planning, and intraoperative identification of nerves. The use of institutional procedures that emphasize early identification and prevention strategies would enhance patient outcomes and quality of surgical care in thyroidectomies.