Abstract:Background and Aims Minimally invasive surgery, represented by laparoscopic techniques, plays a vital role in the treatment of gastric cancer. However, postoperative infectious complications remain a key factor affecting patient recovery and prognosis. This study was performed to identify the risk factors associated with early (≤1 month) infectious complications after laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer, providing a reference for clinical prevention strategies.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 1 572 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from March 2020 to February 2024. Patients were divided into infection and non-infection groups based on the occurrence of postoperative infectious complications. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify related risk factors.Results Among the 1 572 patients, 194 cases (12.3%) developed early postoperative infectious complications, including intra-abdominal infections (4.1%), surgical site infections (3.7%), and pulmonary infections (5.6%). Univariate analysis revealed that a history of diabetes, pulmonary disease, smoking, and preoperative anemia and hypoalbuminemia were significantly associated with postoperative infections (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that a history of diabetes (OR=6.927, 95% CI=4.194-12.935), smoking (OR=3.079, 95% CI=2.261-4.913), and preoperative albumin <35 g/L (OR=0.572, 95% CI=0.302-1.578) were independent risk factors for early postoperative infectious complications.Conclusion A history of diabetes, smoking, and preoperative hypoalbuminemia are closely associated with the occurrence of early postoperative infectious complications after laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery. Clinical attention should be paid to perioperative metabolic, nutritional, and lifestyle management, and early intervention for high-risk patients may help reduce the incidence of complications, improve recovery, and enhance treatment outcomes.