[Mortality and morbidity conference. Perioperative fatalities]

Postoperative complications in 4675 patients were investigated. There were specific patterns of complications with significant differences between vascular and general surgery and transplantation. On the basis of test operations (inguinal hernia, cholecystectomy, resection of colon and rectum) it could be shown that differences were ward-specific. Over a period of 12 years, a certain decrease of complication rates could be demonstrated (wound infection, from 9% to 1.25%; pneumonia, from 8% to 2.5%; mortality, from 6.3% to 1.8%). Changes in clinical practice (antibiotic prophylaxis, bowel cleansing, introduction of new techniques, etc.) may be responsible for these improvements. We are convinced that a regular complication conference essentially influences the actions of physicians and nurses.