Does practice make perfect? The impact of hospital and surgeon volume on complications after intra-abdominal procedures (27 February 2024)

Summary

This systematic review and meta-analysis in Surgery aimed to summarise evidence about the impact of hospital and surgeon volume on complications of emergency intra-abdominal surgery. The authors included nine cohort studies that reported outcomes for cholecystectomy, colectomy, appendectomy, small bowel resection, peptic ulcer repair, adhesiolysis, laparotomy and hernia repair. The results showed that hospital and surgeon volume was significantly associated with higher complications in patients undergoing emergency intra-abdominal surgery.