Comparison of the postoperative complications for gastric cancer surgery before and during the medical crisis in South Korea: a retrospective observational study.

Purpose: In 2024, South Korea experienced a substantial shortage of medical practitioners, primarily residents and interns, owing to mass resignation from training hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate whether the quality of medical care declined because of this shortage by comparing postoperative complications before and during the period of mass resignation.

Methods: This retrospective observational study assessed patient outcomes among patients with gastric cancer before and during a period of mass resignation at a single tertiary training hospital. Outcomes analyzed included operation duration, length of hospital stays, and complication rates. The effects of the medical crisis on complication rates were analyzed using logistic regression.

Results: A total of 218 and 31 patients underwent surgery during the control and crisis periods, respectively. During the control period, approximately 73 surgeries were performed between February 20 and June 10 each year, which was reduced to 31 during the crisis period. The operation duration (minutes) was 164.5 before the medical crisis and 154.0 during it (P = 0.19). The incidence of postoperative complications before and during the medical crisis was 22.02% (48 of 218) and 9.68% (3 of 31), respectively (P = 0.15). No severe complications (Clavien-Dindo grade ≥IIIa) were observed during the crisis period. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that sex and body mass index were significant variables associated with postoperative complications, but the effects of medical crisis were not.

Conclusion: Despite the medical crisis in South Korea, patient outcomes for gastric cancer surgery were sustained in terms of the frequency of postoperative complications.