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Background: Surgical outcomes are increasingly examined in an effort to improve quality and reduce medical error. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) is a retrospective, claims-derived and population-based database and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) Outcomes Project is a prospective, voluntary and specialty surgeon database. We hypothesized that these two sources of outcome data would differ in regard to a single, commonly performed procedure.Methods: Both the NIS, a national sample of all nonfederal hospital discharges, and the gastroesophageal reflux disease log of the SAGES Outcomes Project were queried for all fundoplications performed between 1999 and 2001 using either ICD-9 procedure code 44.66 or CPT codes 43280 or 43324. Patients with an emergency admission, age <17 years, and/or diagnoses for either esophageal cancer or achalasia were excluded. Both demographic and outcome variables were compared by either t-test or chi-square analysis, with a p value of <0.05 as significant.Results: Both data sets were comparable for age and gender; however, the SAGES group had a higher rate of teaching hospital affiliation (71 vs 48%, p < 0.001). SAGES fundoplications had a consistently higher rate of comorbidities, including Barrett's esophagus (2.3 vs 1.1%, p = 0.005). The NIS fundoplications had a clear trend toward more associated procedures, including cholecystectomy (7.2 vs 2%, p < 0.001). Complication rates for the NIS data set were higher, including pulmonary complications (1.7 vs 0.5%, p = 0.03). No statistically significant differences existed between the two data sets for either length of stay or mortality.Conclusions: The two databases indicate that fundoplication is an operation with low morbidity and mortality. The SAGES Outcomes Project demonstrated that participating surgeons had a higher affiliation with teaching hospitals, higher reporting of comorbidity, and lower associated procedures than the NIS. Despite having more comorbidity and technical difficulty, patients from the SAGES Outcomes Project had equivalent or lower complication rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 1999, the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) introduced the SAGES Outcomes Initiative as a way for its members to track their own outcomes. It contains perioperative and postoperative data on nearly 20,000 operations. This report provides a descriptive analysis of the groin hernia database.Methods: The SAGES Outcomes Initiative database was accessed for all groin hernia cases from September 1999 to February 2005. The data from the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative entries were summarized. These data are purely descriptive and no statistical analysis was done.Results: The hernia registry contains 1,607 entries, with 1,070 follow-up entries. Males comprised 85% of patients, 63% were employed, 62% had at least one comorbidity, with 84% ASA class I or II. Primary, unilateral hernia accounted for 86% of cases, whereas 14% were recurrent, 11% bilateral, 6% incarcerated, and 3% required emergency repair. The operating surgeon was the attending surgeon in 83% of cases. Anesthetic techniques were general anesthesia in 74% of cases, regional in 7%, and local in 34%, with only 16% of cases local only. Most patients had symptomatic hernias and symptoms were improved in more than 95% of patients. Most repairs were open, although 45% were endoscopic. The most frequently cited postoperative event was significant bruising (6%), with more than 99% of complications being class I or II. More than 95% of patients were able to return to work by the first postoperative visit. Patients who underwent endoscopic repair were reported to have fewer days of narcotic use than patients undergoing open repairs (0 vs 3).Conclusions: First analysis of the SAGES Outcomes Initiative groin hernia database demonstrates that (a) this is one of the largest prospective; voluntary hernia registries; (b) missing data are infrequent; and (c) the data are similar to published data from national, mandatory registries and randomized trials. Although the SAGES Outcomes Initiative is a voluntary registry, initially designed for surgeon self-assessment, and it therefore has the potential for methodological concerns inherent to voluntary registries, the findings from this first analysis are encouraging. Efforts are ongoing to simplify data entry (PDA), refine data parameters, increase surgeon participation, and determine the role of data audit and thereby the potential for clinical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recent initiative for identifying centers of excellence in bariatric surgery calls for documentation of surgical outcomes. The SAGES Outcomes Initiative is a national database introduced in 1999 as a method for surgeons to accumulate and compare their data with summary national data. A bariatric-specific dataset was established later in 2001. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of bariatric surgery from the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons' (SAGES) bariatric database with data derived from a national administrative database of academic centers.Methods: Between 2001 and 2004, 24 surgeons with 1,954 patients participated in the SAGES Bariatric Outcome Initiative, and 97 institutions with 42,847 patients participated in the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) database. Only 7 of the 24 surgeons participating in the SAGES Bariatric Outcome Initiative submitted more than 50 cases. The main outcome measures included demographics, comorbidities, type of bariatric procedure, operative time, length of hospital stay, short- and long-term complications, mortality, and weight loss.Results: Both datasets were comparable for gender. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass had been performed for 88% of the patients in the SAGES database and 96% of the patients in the UHC database. Associated comorbidities were similar between the two groups except for a higher rate of hyperlipidemia for the patients in the SAGES database. The SAGES database contains more bariatric-specific information such as body mass index, operative time, blood loss, bariatric-specific complications, long-term complications, and weight loss data than the UHC database. According to the available data, no statistically significant differences exist between the two datasets in terms of perioperative complications and mortality.Conclusions: The SAGES Bariatric Outcome Initiative provides valuable bariatric-specific data not currently available in an administrative database that may be useful for benchmarking purposes. However, this database is currently underutilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pays tribute to Joel Wilson Baker, a surgeon in the United States, who died on July 4, 1999. Educational background; Involvement with the Madigan General United States Army Hospital; Description of his personality and character.

Background: In 1999, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) introduced the SAGES Outcomes Initiative as a method for its members to use for tracking their own outcomes. This report provides a descriptive analysis of the cholecystectomy database., Methods: The SAGES Outcome Initiative database was accessed for all gallbladder cases from September 1999 to February 2005. The data from the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative entries were summarized. These data are purely descriptive, and no statistical analysis was performed., Results: The gallbladder registry contained 3,285 cases, with 2,005 follow-up cases. Most patients were employed women with some comorbidities who had elective surgery under general anesthesia. Most of the operating surgeons were attending surgeons and surgical assistants. Most of the patients had biliary colic, and symptoms were improved for more than 95% of the patients. More than 90% of the cases were managed laparoscopically, with a conversion rate of 3%. Biliary imaging was used in the vast majority of cases, with most shown to be normal. Intraoperative gallbladder perforation was common, with bile duct injury occurring in 0.25% of cases. The most frequently cited postoperative event was wound infection, with most complications classified as class 1. More than 95% of the patients were able to return to work., Conclusions: The SAGES Outcomes Initiative database demonstrates that most participating SAGES members perform laparoscopic cholecystectomies themselves using intraoperative cholangiograms. Adverse outcomes are few, with most patients able to return to normal activity. Importantly, there were relatively few missing data points, implying that when surgeons enter data, the information is relatively complete.

Background: In our cost-conscious health care system hospitals are finding that costs are as important as charges or reimbursements, especially as hospitals compete for managed care contracts. We have prospectively gathered cost data for more than 60 common operations performed at our institution over the last 3 years., Methods: Over a 25-month period, from January 1993 to February 1995, 30 pancreaticoduodenectomy procedures were performed for which cost data were available. Cases were divided according to diagnosis (neoplastic or benign) and were evaluated for complications which prolonged length of stay (LOS). Costs were analyzed by an item-by-item prospective micro-cost analysis technique. Items were grouped into two areas: operating room (OR) costs and hospital (ward) costs. OR costs included disposable equipment, nondisposable equipment, OR room, OR staff, postanesthesia care, and anesthesia costs. Ward costs included hospital room, pharmacy, and radiology costs., Results: OR costs for the 30 PD patients were similar and represented approximately 21% of total hospital costs. Of the 30 patients, complications resulting in a prolonged LOS occurred in 10 (33%): intra abdominal abscess in 3 (2 with pancreatic leaks), superficial marginal ulceration in 2, delayed return of gastrointestinal function in 2 (1 with pulmonary edema) and 1 each of bile leak, urosepsis, and chylous ascites. No cost differences were observed when comparing neoplasm versus chronic pancreatitis for all parameters. When comparing patients who had complications versus those who did not, however, there was a statistically significant cost difference for both hospital ward or total costs. Regardless of whether a PD was performed for neoplastic or benign disease, postoperative complications increased hospital ward costs by 76% due to increased LOS., Conclusions: This cost analysis study is an example of the methodology that would allow surgeons to investigate any common surgical procedure by first identifying areas of increased costs. This quantitative knowledge focuses the clinician on areas to improve quality which will then lower costs.

The main symptom of gallstone disease is biliary pain. Biliary pain is not necessarily colicky or postprandial, and it most frequently occurs at night during the same clock-time. The relief of biliary pain by cholecystectomy would support the idea that the gallbladder or the stones caused pain. Long-term follow-up studies after cholecystectomy are infrequent, however. Our studies show that biliary pain is relieved in 99% of patients after 4 years of follow-up. The nonspecific symptoms associated with gallstones (i.e., dyspepsia, bloating, belching, etc.) remained in 12% of these patients. We have also shown that the gallbladder itself, without stones, can cause pain and that this biliary pain is relieved in 77% of patients by cholecystectomy. The impact of gallstones on the patient depends on the quality of cholecystectomy as classically measured by morbidity and mortality. However, quality must also be monitored by comparing the long-term relief of biliary pain and the cost. Quality cannot be monitored through inaccurate national databases or multicenter trials. Rather, the continuous quality improvement (CQI) technique of larger centralized health care systems may be the most accurate monitoring system. This technique coordinates the entire health care system by assuming that any process can improve its quality, no matter how good it may already be. Our CQI laparoscopic cholecystectomy database has yielded preliminary perspectives on accurate data collection and improving costs. After a thorough examination, 5% of the database contained cases not done laparoscopically (coding errors), whereas it missed 21% of true laparoscopic cholecystectomy cases (staff errors). Only with the accuratized database were we able to provide insight into cost-savings procedures.