The Impact of a Surgical Unit’s Structure and Operative Technique on Quality in Two Swedish Rural Hospitals

• Published in: Journal of Investigative Surgery
• Main Authors: Nina Odelberg, Yücel Cengiz, Arthur Jänes, Joakim Hennings
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2020
• Subjects: laparoscopic cholecystectomy; operative technique; day surgery; complications; quality; Surgery; RD1-811; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941939.2019.1579277; https://doaj.org/article/3835c5210b1b49e1aeaf13b0d35c4a83

Introduction: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a commonly performed surgical procedure with a low complication rate. It is performed either as an acute or as an elective procedure. Most elective LCs are performed on nonlethal diseases and this is why good quality is important. Our study compared the quality of LC in two surgical units in northern Sweden (Sundsvall and Östersund) which use different clinical structures (subspecialised vs. general surgery) and surgical techniques (ultrasound fundus first vs. conventional diathermy). The study aimed to investigate whether these differences affected the quality of outcomes after LC. Materials and methods: This is a registry-based study which included 607 elective LCs from January 2014 to May 2016. There were 286 from Sundsvall and 321 from Östersund. Primary outcomes were operative time and the percentage of day surgeries. The secondary outcome was the presence of postoperative complications within the first 30 days in terms of bile duct injury, bleeding that necessitated reoperation, bile leakage and abscesses treated with drainage and mortality. Results: The time length of surgery was shorter in Sundsvall (mean 48.3 min) compared to Östersund (mean 108.6 min, p < 0.001. The percentage of day care surgeries was 94% in Sundsvall and 23% in Östersund, p < 0.001. Six patients (2.1%) had a complication in Sundsvall compared to seven patients (2.2%) in Östersund, p = 1.00. Conclusion: There is a significant difference between the two hospitals regarding operative time and the percentage of day surgeries. Complication rates in both units were equal and low.