Inpatient mortality and length of stay associated with splanchnic vein thrombosis in gastrointestinal cancers: A National Inpatient Sample analysis.

Abstract

e16335 Background: Splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) is a rare but serious complication in gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients. This study investigated its features and outcomes in U.S. hospitalizations. Methods: Hospitalizations (≥18 years old) with a GI malignancy (ICD-10-CM C15–C26) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT) (I81), hepatic vein thrombosis (HVT) (I82.0), or mesenteric/splenic vein thrombosis (MSVT) (I82.890 + K55) in any of the 40 diagnosis fields were found in 2022 National Inpatient Sample. Exclusions: non-GI cancers (C00-C14, C27-C96), thrombophilia (D68.5, D68.6, D45, D47.1, D59.5), or cirrhosis (K74, K70.3). Demographics and outcomes (in-hospital mortality, length of stay [LOS], and total hospital charges [TOTCHG]) were compared between SVT and non-SVT groups using unweighted descriptive statistics (medians, IQRs), χ², and Mann-Whitney U tests. Multivariable regression of mortality, LOS, and TOTCHG were adjusted for age, sex, race, income quartile, insurance type, hospital region and bed size, and comorbidity burden (elixsum). Stata 17.0 was used. Results: Among 51,940 GI cancer hospitalizations (mean age 68.37 ± 12.79 years; 44.46% female), 833 (1.60%) had SVT. SVT group was younger (66.60 ± 11.76 vs. 68.40 ± 12.80 years; p < 0.001). Sex distribution was similar (58.34% vs. 55.50% male; p = 0.101). Common cancers in SVT: liver (n=427; 51.26%), pancreas (n=310; 37.21%), and colorectal (n=42; 5.04%). SVT prevalence was highest in liver (7.10%), pancreatic (3.14%), gallbladder (2.65%), and biliary (2.13%) cancers. PVT was the predominant subtype (n=788; 94.60%), followed by HVT (n=21; 2.52%), MSVT (n=4; 0.48%), and multiple SVT sites (n=20; 2.40%). SVT subtype distribution was: PVT (n=788; 94.60%), HVT (n=21; 2.52%), MSVT (n=4; 0.48%), and multiple sites (n=20; 2.40%). SVT had longer median LOS (5 [3–10] vs. 4 [3–8] days; z = -6.666, p < 0.001), similar median charges ($65,053 [I33,560–130,026] vs. $66,433 [35,897–121,038]; z = -0.76, p = 0.447), and higher mortality (9.48% vs. 4.41%; χ² = 49.042, p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, SVT had higher mortality (aOR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.74–2.85, p < 0.001), longer LOS by 1.50 days (95% CI 0.99–2.02, p < 0.001), and 14.63% higher TOTCHG (coefficient 0.136, 95% CI 0.051–0.222, p = 0.002). Conclusions: SVT affects ~1.6% of GI cancer hospitalizations, is most prevalent in liver cancer, and associated with longer stays and higher mortality, underscoring the need for proactive monitoring. Multivariable regression analyses of SVT on clinical outcomes (unweighted sample). Outcome SVT Effect 95% CI P-value Interpretation In-hospital mortality OR 2.23 1.74–2.85 <0.001 SVT doubles odds of in-hospital death Length of stay (days) +1.50 0.99–2.02 <0.001 SVT associated with ~1.5 extra hospital days Total hospital charges ($) +0.136 (log scale) 0.051–0.222 0.002 SVT increases hospital costs by ~14.63%