Systematic Assessment and Targeted Improvement of Services Following Yearlong Surgical Outcomes Surveys

Plain-language summary

Based on limited published epidemiological data, up to an alarming 1 in 50 surgical inpatients die within 30 postoperative days. Based on our own data from the B-Unaware (NCT00281489) and BAG-RECALL (NCT00682825) clinical trials, 30-day postoperative mortality among high-risk surgical patients is comparable to this at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and 1-year mortality among high-risk surgical patients may be as high as 10%. Short- and intermediate-term postoperative mortality is therefore a pressing public health concern. Similarly, postoperative major morbidity - including delirium, stroke, myocardial infarction, atrial fibrillation, blood clots, renal dysfunction, wound infection, pneumonia, respiratory failure, loss of functionality, and chronic pain - occurs commonly and affects a substantial proportion of surgical patients, critically ill patients and patients undergoing procedures for chronic pain. Many factors associate strongly and independently with postoperative mortality and major morbidity: patient age, functional status, comorbid medical conditions, and duration and invasiveness of surgery, among others. It is a strategic priority to identify pre- and intraoperative risk factors that are subject to modification.

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