Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Studies of specific procedures have shown increases in infectious complications with operative duration. We hypothesized that operative duration is independently associated with increased risk-adjusted infectious complication (IC) rates in a broad range of general surgical procedures. ⋯ Operative duration is independently associated with increased ICs and LOS after adjustment for procedure and patient risk factors.
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Several popular media and Internet-based hospital quality rankings have become increasingly publicized as a method for patients to choose better hospitals. It is unclear whether selecting highly rated hospitals will improve outcomes after cardiovascular surgery procedures. ⋯ Popular hospital rating systems identify high-quality hospitals for cardiovascular operations. However, patients can experience equivalent outcomes by seeking care at high-volume hospitals.