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Updated: May 24, 2026
10:08
Pseudofracture: An Acute Peripheral Tissue Trauma Model
Published on: April 18, 2011
Complication-associated mortality following trauma: a population-based observational study.
Turner Osler1, Laurent G Glance, David W Hosmer
1Department of Surgery, University of Vermont, Colchester, VT 05446, USA. tosler@uvm.edu
Archives of Surgery (Chicago, Ill. : 1960)
|February 22, 2012
Summary
Surgical complications significantly increase trauma patient mortality. Identifying and preventing key complications could reduce deaths by up to two-thirds, improving patient survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Public Health
- Surgical Outcomes Research
Background:
- Surgical complications are prevalent in trauma care, leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.
- A universally accepted, comprehensive list of surgical complications is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an empirical list of surgical complications using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) lexicon.
- To quantify the impact of these identified complications on patient mortality.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of a large administrative dataset (Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development) from California hospitals (2004-2008).
- Inclusion of 409,393 patients across 159 hospitals.
- Definition of complications as ICD-9 coded conditions arising post-admission that significantly elevate mortality risk.
Main Results:
- Eighty-two distinct ICD-9 codes were identified as significant contributors to mortality.
- Complications ranged from 0 to 14 per patient, with 24% of patients experiencing at least one.
- Each additional complication increased mortality by 8%; eliminating all complications could reduce overall mortality by 64%.
Conclusions:
- A concentrated focus on approximately 25 key complications could significantly reduce mortality.
- While complete elimination is unlikely due to non-preventable factors, substantial survival improvements are possible.
- Hospital-specific variations in complication-related deaths suggest targeted prevention efforts may enhance survival at certain institutions.
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