US Deaths Resulting From Inpatient Surgery Decline

 "January 18, 2012 — The number of surgical procedures performed in the United States increased between 1996 and 2006, whereas inpatient postsurgical deaths within 30 days of admission dropped significantly, according to a national, population-level analysis published  (abstract) in the February issue of Surgery....."

".....In 2006, more patients had sepsis or pneumonia than in 1996, and the absolute number of deaths resulting from complications increased. However, the failure-to-rescue rate declined during the study period for both groups (sepsis, from 18.69% to 14.03%; pneumonia, from 8.54% to 7.34%). Meanwhile, the number of deaths resulting from deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and shock declined during the study period.
Overall, the number of patients with 1 to 5 complications increased, but the failure-to-rescue rate for patients with an identified complication decreased from 12.10% to 9.84% (P < .001)
"The decline in the number of deaths may have occurred through reduced mortality of individual procedures, reductions in the volume of high-risk procedures, and the rescue of patients who had a complication," the authors write.
They estimate that 51,000 fewer people died in 2006 than would have with the 1996 mortality rate. However, they also note that some portion of the decline in mortality "may represent the effect of premature discharge as opposed to an actual improvement in survival." Data were not linked across admissions, and a patient discharged postoperatively who was later readmitted with a complication and died would not be counted as a death in this study."