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7 emergency surgeries account for 80% of deaths and costs, study finds

The procedures are mostly related to the digestive system, according to a recent study in JAMA Surgery.

A study published in JAMA Surgery last week dug into the medical records of around 421,000 patients who’d undergone emergency surgery and unearthed a surprising conclusion: Seven procedures are responsible for around 80% of emergency surgery hospital admissions, deaths, inpatient costs and complications.

The Washington Post, which reported on the study, lists the seven procedures as:

  • Removing part of the colon.
  • Small-bowel resection.
  • Removing the gallbladder.
  • Operations related to peptic ulcer disease.
  • Removing abdominal adhesions.
  • Appendectomy.
  • Other operations to open the abdomen.

The study looked at adults who received emergency surgery within two days of hospital admission between 2008 and 2011.

Because these procedures have such an outsize impact, the study’s authors recommend they be analyzed further: “Given their high prevalence nationally and high proportion of burden they represent, deriving [emergency general surgery] benchmarks from the seven procedures identified in this study could lead to better clinical decision making, patient outcomes, and cost savings.”

To learn more, read The Washington Post’s coverage of the study, or read the study in JAMA Surgery.

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