In-Hospital Mortality for Hepatic Portal Venous Gas: Analysis of 1590 Patients Using a Japanese National Inpatient Database.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG) is rare but potentially serious condition. Main cause of HPVG is bowel ischemia, while detection of HPVG without bowel ischemia may have been increasing possibly due to widespread use of computed tomography. However, little is known about variation in etiologies of HPVG and mortality of HPVG with each etiology. We examined patient backgrounds, underlying diseases, and in-hospital mortality of HPVG patients using a national inpatient database.

METHODS: Using the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in Japan, we identified inpatients diagnosed with HPVG from July 1, 2010 to March 31, 2015. Patients' data included age, sex, comorbidities at admission, complications after admission, body mass index, surgical procedures, medications, and discharge status. In-hospital mortality was compared between the subgroups divided by the patient backgrounds and underlying diseases.

RESULTS: A total of 1590 patients were identified during the study period. The mean age was 79.3 years old and the proportion of bowel ischemia was 53%. The overall in-hospital mortality was 27.3%. In-hospital mortality of HPVG with bowel ischemia, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) obstruction or dilation, GIT perforation, GIT infection, or sepsis was 26.8, 31.1, 33.3, 13.6, or 56.4%, respectively. Among patients with bowel ischemia, 32.2% patients received operation and their in-hospital mortality was 16.5%.

CONCLUSIONS: HPVG patients in the present study were relatively older but less likely to die than those in previous studies. Attention should be paid to the fact that mortality of HPVG without bowel ischemia was not always lower compared to that with bowel ischemia.