Predicting the unpredictable: A retrospective cohort study to determine the accuracy of estimated operative duration in orthopedic surgery

Table 1 Patient characteristics, n (%)/mean ± SD

Study data
Age (years)	34.8 ± 21.1
Gender
Male	107 (51.2)
Female	102 (48.8)
Method of surgery
Elective	187 (89.5)
Emergency	22 (10.5)
Patient medical status
Not known to have medical illness	102 (48.8)
HTN	6 (2.9)
DM	5 (2.4)
Multimorbidity	31 (14.8)
Others	65 (31.1)
Precision of surgical duration
Underestimated duration (> 30 minutes)	97 (46.4)
Overestimated duration (≤ 30 minutes)	112 (53.6)
Anesthesia duration in hours	3.60 ± 1.86
Intraoperative duration in hours	4.37 ± 2.76
Length of hospital stay in days	2.59 ± 1.64

HTN: Hypertension; DM: Diabetes mellitus.

Table 2 Factors influencing the accuracy of estimated surgical duration, n (%)/mean ± SD

Factor	Precision of surgical duration		P value
	Underestimated (n = 97)	Overestimated (n = 112)
Age (years)	33.9 ± 20.4	35.6 ± 21.8	0.571
Gender
Male	58 (59.8)	49 (43.8)	0.021
Female	39 (40.2)	63 (56.3)
Subspecialty
Pediatrics	14 (14.4))	22 (19.6)	0.700
Pediatrics trauma	3 (3.1)	2 (1.8)
Trauma	19 (19.6)	15 (13.4)
Upper extremity	08 (08.2)	14 (12.5)
Sport	15 (15.5)	12 (10.7)
Arthroplasty	19 (19.6)	23 (20.5)
Foot and ankle	11 (11.3)	16 (14.3)
Spine	8 (8.2)	8 (7.1)
Method of surgery
Elective	85 (87.6)	102 (91.1)	0.419
Emergency	12 (12.4)	10 (8.9)
Patient medical status

Table 3 Independent factors influencing the accuracy of estimated surgical duration

Factor	AOR	95%CI	P value
Gender
Male	Reference
Female	0.294	0.128-0.676	0.004
Patient medical status
Not known to have medical illness	Reference
Comorbidities	0.522	0.235-1.159	0.110
Anesthesia duration in hours	2.682	2.035-3.535	< 0.001
Intraoperative duration in hours	1.175	0.930-1.486	0.177

AOR: Adjusted odds ratio.