PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine variations in operative mortality among surgical specialists who perform colorectal surgery. METHODS: Mortality rates were compared between six board-certified colorectal surgeons and 33 other institutional surgeons using comparable colorectal procedure codes and a validated database indicating patient severity of illness. Thirty-five ICD-9-CM procedure codes were used to identify 2,805 patients who underwent colorectal surgery as their principal procedure between July 1986 and April 1994. Atlas, a state-legislated outcome database, was used by the hospital's Quality Assurance Department to rank the Admission Severity Group (ASG) of 1,753 patients from January 1989 to April 1994 (higher ASG, 0 to 4, indicates increasing medical instability). RESULTS: Colorectal surgeons had an eight-year mean in-hospital mortality rate of 1.4 percent compared with 7.3 percent by other institutional surgeons (P = 0.0001). There was a significantly lower mortality rate for colorectal surgeons compared with other institutional surgeons in ASG 2 (0.8 and 3.8 percent, respectively; P = 0.026) and ASG 3 (5.7 and 16.4 percent, respectively; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Board-certified colorectal surgeons had a lower in-hospital mortality rate than other institutional surgeons as patients' severity of illness increased.
PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine variations in operative mortality among surgical specialists who perform colorectal surgery. METHODS: Mortality rates were compared between six board-certified colorectal surgeons and 33 other institutional surgeons using comparable colorectal procedure codes and a validated database indicating patient severity of illness. Thirty-five ICD-9-CM procedure codes were used to identify 2,805 patients who underwent colorectal surgery as their principal procedure between July 1986 and April 1994. Atlas, a state-legislated outcome database, was used by the hospital's Quality Assurance Department to rank the Admission Severity Group (ASG) of 1,753 patients from January 1989 to April 1994 (higher ASG, 0 to 4, indicates increasing medical instability). RESULTS: Colorectal surgeons had an eight-year mean in-hospital mortality rate of 1.4 percent compared with 7.3 percent by other institutional surgeons (P = 0.0001). There was a significantly lower mortality rate for colorectal surgeons compared with other institutional surgeons in ASG 2 (0.8 and 3.8 percent, respectively; P = 0.026) and ASG 3 (5.7 and 16.4 percent, respectively; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Board-certified colorectal surgeons had a lower in-hospital mortality rate than other institutional surgeons as patients' severity of illness increased.
Authors: Mary E Charlton; Lorren R Mattingly-Wells; Jorge E Marcet; Brenna C McMahon Waldschmidt; John W Cromwell Journal: Am J Surg Date: 2014-06-08 Impact factor: 2.565
Authors: Raymond Oliphant; Gary A Nicholson; Paul G Horgan; Donald C McMillan; David S Morrison Journal: Int J Colorectal Dis Date: 2014-07-19 Impact factor: 2.571
Authors: Marja Hilska; Peter J Roberts; Jyrki Kössi; Hannu Paajanen; Yrjö Collan; Matti Laato Journal: Langenbecks Arch Surg Date: 2004-10-02 Impact factor: 3.445