Abstract Background Accompanying co-morbidities in patients with ovarian cancer are of major relevance for scheduling debulking surgery, especially in the anesthesiological consultations. Aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of co-morbidities and patient characteristics on postoperative complications. Methods Patients undergoing maximal cytoreductive surgery were prospectively enrolled from October 2015 to January 2017. Various variables were recorded, such as the Charlson comorbidity index, Eastern cooperative oncology group scale of performance status (ECOG PS) and the American society of anesthesiologists physical status classification system (ASA PS). Surgical complications were graded using the Clavien–Dindo criteria. Logistic regression models were used to analyze risk factors for severe postoperative complications. Results Of 106 enrolled patients, 19 (17.9%) developed severe postoperative complications grade ≥ IIIb according to Clavien–Dindo criteria. In the multivariable regression analysis impaired (ECOG PS) > 1 (odds ratio OR) 13.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.74–102.30, p = 0.01), body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m² (OR 10.48, 95% CI 2.38–46.02, p = 0.002) along with the use of intraoperative norepinephrine > 0.11 µg/kg/min (OR 4.69, 95% CI 1.13–19.46, p = 0.03) and intraoperative fresh frozen plasma (FFP) > 17 units (OR 4.11, 95% CI 1.12–15.14, p = 0.03) appeared as significant predictors of severe postoperative complications. Conclusion We demonstrated that neither the presence of a certain comorbidity nor the summation of the co-morbidities were associated with adverse outcome. Patient characteristics, such as ECOG PS > 1 and obesity (BMI > 25 kg/m²), are highly predictive factors for severe postoperative complications. The analysis of intraoperative data showed that the need for more than > 0.11 µg/kg/min of norepinephrine and transfusions of FFPs more than 17 units were strongly associated with severe postoperative complications.