• Jillian K Smith, James T McPhee, Joshua S Hill, Giles F Whalen, Mary E Sullivan, Demetrius E Litwin, Frederick A Anderson, and Jennifer F Tseng.
• Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worchester, MA 01605, USA.
• Arch Surg Chicago. 2007 Apr 1;142(4):387-93.

HypothesisThat factors affecting outcomes of surgical resection in the treatment of gastric cancer can be identified using a large US database.DesignRetrospective observational study.SettingThe Nationwide Inpatient Sample from January 1, 1998, through December 31, 2003.PatientsWe included 13 354 patient discharges (approximately 66 096 nationally by weighted analysis) who underwent gastric resection for neoplasm.Main Outcome MeasureIn-hospital mortality. Univariate analyses were performed by means of chi(2) tests. A multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine which variables were independently predictive of in-hospital mortality.ResultsDuring the study period, 50 738 patients (approximately 250 420 nationally) were discharged with the diagnosis of gastric neoplasm. Of those, 13 354 (26.3%) underwent gastric resection during their hospitalization. In-hospital mortality for patients undergoing surgery was 6.0%, without significant change from 1998 through 2003. Factors predictive of significantly increased in-hospital mortality included low annual hospital surgical volume (lowest [or= 11 gastrectomies per year], 6.8% vs 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2-1.8]), older patient age (50-69 vs <50 years, 4.0% vs 2.1%; adjusted OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1-2.2) (>or =70 vs <50 years, 8.6% vs 2.1%; adjusted OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 2.0-4.3), male sex (male vs female, 6.7% vs 5.0%; adjusted OR, 1.3; 95% CI, 1.1-1.5), and procedure type (total gastrectomy vs all other resections, 8.0% vs 5.3%; adjusted OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7).ConclusionsHigher annual surgical volume is predictive of lower in-hospital mortality for patients undergoing gastric resection for neoplasm. Other factors significantly associated with superior outcomes after gastric resection included diagnosis type, procedure type, younger age, female sex, and fewer comorbid conditions.

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