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
Review
. 2002 Jun;235(6):803-13.
doi: 10.1097/00000658-200206000-00007.

Quality of complication reporting in the surgical literature

Robert C G Martin 2nd  1 , Murray F Brennan, David P Jaques
Affiliations
Review

Quality of complication reporting in the surgical literature

Robert C G Martin 2nd et al. Ann Surg. 2002 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To identify 10 critical elements of accurate and comprehensive reports of surgical complications.

Summary background data: Despite a venerable tradition of weekly morbidity and mortality conferences, inconsistent complication reporting is common in the surgical literature.

Methods: An analysis of articles reporting short-term outcomes after pancreatectomy, esophagectomy, and hepatectomy was performed. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) published from 1975 to 2001 and retrospective series of more than 100 patients published from 1990 to 2001 were reviewed.

Results: A total of 119 articles reporting outcomes in 22,530 patients were analyzed. This included 42 RCTs and 77 retrospective series. Of the 10 criteria developed, no articles met all criteria; 2% met 9 criteria, 38% 7 or 8, 34% 5 or 6, 40% 3 or 4, and 12% 1 or 2. Outpatient information (22% of articles), definitions of complications provided (34% of articles), severity grade used (20% of articles), and risk factors included in analysis (29% of articles) were the most commonly unmet quality reporting criteria. Type of study (RCT vs. retrospective), site of institution (U.S. vs. non-U.S.) and journal (U.S. vs. non-U.S.) did not influence the quality of complication reporting.

Conclusions: Short-term surgical outcomes are routinely included in the data reported in the surgical literature. This is often used to show improvements over time or to assess the impact of therapeutic changes on patient outcome. The inconsistency of reporting and the lack of accepted principles of accrual, display, and analysis of complication data argue strongly for the creation and generalized use of standards for reporting this information.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Balcom JH, Rattner DW, Warshaw AL, et al. Ten-year experience with 733 pancreatic resections: changing indications, older patients, and decreasing length of hospitalization. Arch Surg 2001; 136: 391–398. - PubMed
    1. Ohwada S, Ogawa T, Kawate S, et al. Results of duct-to-mucosa pancreaticojejunostomy for pancreaticoduodenectomy Billroth I type reconstruction in 100 consecutive patients. J Am Coll Surg 2001; 193: 29–35. - PubMed
    1. Martignoni ME, Wagner M, Krahenbuhl L, et al. Effect of preoperative biliary drainage on surgical outcome after pancreatoduodenectomy. Am J Surg 2001; 181: 52–59. - PubMed
    1. Bathe OF, Caldera H, Hamilton KL, et al. Diminished benefit from resection of cancer of the head of the pancreas in patients of advanced age. J Surg Oncol 2001; 77: 115–122. - PubMed
    1. Conlon KC, Labow D, Leung D, et al. Prospective randomized clinical trial of the value of intraperitoneal drainage after pancreatic resection. Ann Surg 2001; 234: 487–494. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms