Morbidity and mortality in modern gynecologic surgical practice.

Background: Surgical audits are quality improvement initiatives developed to enhance the quality of surgical care and to highlight sub-optimal local practices. The aim of this audit was to collate necessary data to track and analyze gynecological surgery complications for quality assurance in operative care.

Methods: A retrospective study of all patients who underwent both elective and emergency gynecological surgery across two health care institutions was undertaken over a 10-year period.

Results: The incidence of complications and mortality was low in a review of over 9000 gynecological surgeries. Patients who underwent major surgeries such as operative laparoscopies and hysterectomies, which made up of 30% of all surgeries, had a longer postoperative mean length of stay - one variable noted was majority of these patients live in remote areas. Other morbidities such as postoperative pneumonia, bradycardia and hypotension related intensive care admissions were associated with obesity and medical co-morbidities. There was no statistical difference in operative complication between elective and emergency surgeries.

Conclusions: The morbidity and mortality associated with modern gynecological surgery occurred infrequently, especially postoperative venous thromboembolism and wound site infection. Implementation of an enhanced recovery after surgery program and an increasing trend in minimally invasive surgery were key practices contributing to this low rate. Future assessments should include comparison of outcomes against local and international outcome databases such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program for further evaluation.