Minor surgery activity in primary care

The aim of this study was to describe the activity in our Outpatient Minor Surgery unit during its first five-year period.

Retrospective descriptive study.

It was carried out in two centres of a Basic Health Area with a catchment area of 73,000 inhabitants.

Patients who underwent surgery from January 2002 to December 2007 were included in the research.

Information on the sociodemographic data of the patients, characteristics of the lesions, risk factors, treatment and its complications was gathered.

A total of 2317 surgical procedures was performed on 1520 patients. The mean was 46 years old and 52% were men. The concordance between clinical and anatomopathological diagnosis was 81%. There were complications in 5% of them. The main pathologies were: epidermoid cysts (22%), nevus (20%) and fibromas (18%). They were mainly located in the back (24%), superior extremities (14%) and head (11%). In 73% mepivicaine was used as anaesthetic. The most current techniques used were: incision (36%), curettage (33%) and fusiform excision (28%). Less than 1% had malignant lesions, 50% of which were not diagnosed clinically. The mean waiting time was 30 days. Ninety-two percent had the informed consent.

Minor surgery in primary care is feasible and has a good clinicopathological concordance and minimum complications, but some malignant lesions are overlooked in the diagnosis based exclusively on clinical criteria.