Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1985 Fall;7(1):37-47.

Outcomes of surgery among the Medicare aged: surgical volume and mortality

G Riley, J Lubitz

Outcomes of surgery among the Medicare aged: surgical volume and mortality

G Riley et al. Health Care Financ Rev. 1985 Fall.

Abstract

We examined the relation between surgical volume and mortality, within 60 days of surgery, for eight procedures on aged Medicare beneficiaries. Logistic regression revealed that high surgical volume was significantly associated with lower mortality for resection of the intestine, coronary artery bypass, transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), and hip arthroplasty (excluding total hip replacement). For cholecystectomy, total hip replacement, inguinal hernia repair, and femur fracture reduction, no relationship was found between surgical volume and postsurgical mortality. The analyses were repeated using inhospital deaths as the dependent variable, and the results indicated a considerably stronger association between volume and mortality.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Commission on Professional and Hospital Activities Cholecystectomy mortality. PAS Reporter. 1970 Apr.8(No. 8)
    1. Farber B, Kaiser D, Wenzel R. Relation between surgical volume and incidence of postoperative wound infection. N Engl J Med. 1981 Jul 23;305(4):200–204. - PubMed
    1. Flood AB, Scott WR, Ewy W. Does practice make perfect? Part I, The relation between hospital volume and outcomes for selected diagnostic categories. Med Care. 1984a Feb.22(2):98–114. - PubMed
    1. Flood AB, Scott WR, Ewy W. Does practice make perfect? Part II, The relation between volume and outcomes and other hospital characteristics. Med Care. 1984b Feb.22(2):115–125. - PubMed
    1. Gersh B, Kronmal R, Frye R, et al. Coronary arteriography and coronary artery bypass surgery, Morbidity and mortality in patients ages 65 years or older—A report from the coronary artery surgery study. Circulation. 1983 Mar.67(3):483–491. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources