Intraoperative deaths: who, why, and can we prevent them?

Ander Dorken Gallastegi; Sarah Mikdad; Carolijn Kapoen; Kerry A Breen; Leon Naar; Apostolos Gaitanidis; Majed El Hechi; May C M Pian-Smith; Jeffrey B. Cooper; Donna M Antonelli; Olivia MacKenzie; Marcela G del Carmen; Keith D. Lillemoe; Haytham M.A Kaafarani

Study

Intraoperative deaths: who, why, and can we prevent them?

March 9, 2022

Dorken Gallastegi A, Mikdad S, Kapoen C, et al. J Surg Res. 2022;274:185-195.

View more articles from the same authors.

While interoperative deaths (IODs) are rare, they are catastrophic events. This study analyzed five years of data on IODs from a large academic medical center. The authors describe three phenotypes: patients with traumatic injury, those undergoing non-trauma-related emergency surgery, and patients who die during an elective procedure from medical cardiac arrests or vascular injuries. This classification framework can serve as a foundation for future research or quality improvement processes.

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