Nonelective excisional colorectal surgery in English National Health Service Trusts: a study of outcomes from Hospital Episode Statistics Data between 1996 and 2007

Abstract

Background: Nonelective colorectal surgery is associated with substantial patient morbidity and mortality. This study sought to describe the practice of emergency colorectal surgery in the United Kingdom during an 11-year period using the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database.

Study design: All nonelective admissions in patients undergoing 1 of 8 colorectal resectional procedures between 1996 and 2007 were included. Time trends, univariate, and multivariate mortality and length of stay outcomes were analyzed.

Results: A total of 102,236 major urgent/emergency procedures were performed in English National Health Service Trusts between April 1996 and March 2007. Thirty-day in-hospital postoperative mortality rates in patients with colorectal cancer and diverticular disease were 13.3% and 15.4%, respectively. The corresponding 1-year postoperative mortality was 34.7% and 22.6%. On multivariate analysis, benign diagnosis, advanced age, high comorbidity score, social deprivation, and specific procedure types were independent predictors of early and 1-year postoperative mortality (p < 0.001). Independent risk factors for extended hospital stay were advanced age, social deprivation, distal (compared with proximal) bowel resection, and a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: HES data suggest that in everyday practice, postoperative mortality among patients undergoing nonelective admission followed by colorectal resection is high. Additional investigation is required to assess the reliability of HES data for monitoring institutional variation in this context.