Emergency surgery deaths higher among the poorest nations – study author calls for action

Health & Leisure
Friday, 06 May 2016

People who have emergency surgery in poor nations are at greater risk of dying than patients in wealthy countries, according to a new study.

 

The study monitored post-surgery death rates and mapped them against the Human Development Index (HDI) of each country.

Some 10,745 patients were monitored 30 days after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery, at hospitals in 58 participating countries.

The study showed that death rates were three times higher in low income countries, even after adjustment for prognostic factors such as fitness for surgery, diabetes history and smoking status.

The team behind the research, from the UK Universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield, believe the study demonstrates a need to improve patient safety in low income countries, and to revisit the use of the surgical safety checklists – the standard global marker of hospital safety.

Dr Aneel Bhangu from the University of Birmingham explained: “The association between increasing mortality and lower income countries might be explained by differences in prognosis, in treatment, or maybe both. What we can say is that our study highlights the significant disparity between countries, and an urgent need to address it.”

It is believed that less than a third of the world’s population has access to safe, timely and affordable surgery. Only six per cent of the 300 million surgical procedures performed each year take place in low or middle income countries, despite a third of the world’s population living there.

Surgical death rates are routinely collected in high income countries, but there is little to no surveillance in about 70 per cent of low and middle income countries.

Emergency surgery deaths higher among the poorest nations – study author calls for action

Health & Leisure
Friday, 06 May 2016

People who have emergency surgery in poor nations are at greater risk of dying than patients in wealthy countries, according to a new study.

 

The study monitored post-surgery death rates and mapped them against the Human Development Index (HDI) of each country.

Some 10,745 patients were monitored 30 days after undergoing emergency abdominal surgery, at hospitals in 58 participating countries.

The study showed that death rates were three times higher in low income countries, even after adjustment for prognostic factors such as fitness for surgery, diabetes history and smoking status.

The team behind the research, from the UK Universities of Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield, believe the study demonstrates a need to improve patient safety in low income countries, and to revisit the use of the surgical safety checklists – the standard global marker of hospital safety.

Dr Aneel Bhangu from the University of Birmingham explained: “The association between increasing mortality and lower income countries might be explained by differences in prognosis, in treatment, or maybe both. What we can say is that our study highlights the significant disparity between countries, and an urgent need to address it.”

It is believed that less than a third of the world’s population has access to safe, timely and affordable surgery. Only six per cent of the 300 million surgical procedures performed each year take place in low or middle income countries, despite a third of the world’s population living there.

Surgical death rates are routinely collected in high income countries, but there is little to no surveillance in about 70 per cent of low and middle income countries.