50
These 7 Surgical Procedures Account for Most
Complications, Deaths and Costs
By Brian Zimmerman
J
ust seven procedures account for roughly 80 percent of all
admissions, deaths, complications and costs attributable to
emergency general surgery across the nation, according to a
study published in JAMA Surgery.
EGS involves the surgical care for the most acutely ill, highest risk
and highest cost general surgery patients.
For the study, researchers identified 421,476 operative EGS patients,
which were weighted to represent 2.1 million over the four year study
period. e analysis displayed an overall mortality rate of 1.2 percent
and a complication rate of 15 percent. e average cost per admission
was $13,241. Researchers then ranked the procedures for overall
contribution to EGS mortality and morbidity. Seven procedures ac-
counted for 80 percent of surgeries, 80 percent of patient fatalities, 79
percent of complications and 80 percent of national inpatient costs.
e seven procedures are:
• Partial colectomy
• Small-bowel resection
• Cholecystectomy
• Operative management of peptic ulcer disease
• Removal of peritoneal adhesions
• Appendectomy
• Laparotomy
e authors conclude, "National quality benchmarks and cost reduc-
tion efforts should focus on these common, complicated and costly
EGS procedures." n
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