The British journal of surgery
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Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has changed over time, with endovascular repair (EVAR) being the main technical revolution. This study assessed the effect of this change on outcome on a national basis over a 17-year interval. ⋯ The introduction of EVAR has been associated with an increased number of intact AAA repairs, which has accelerated recently, whereas the rate of rAAA repair has started to decline. Simultaneously, outcomes have improved.
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Comparing and ranking hospitals based on health outcomes is becoming increasingly popular, although case-mix differences between hospitals and random variation are known to distort interpretation. The aim of this study was to explore whether surgical-site infection (SSI) rates are suitable for comparing hospitals, taking into account case-mix differences and random variation. ⋯ When comparing SSI rates in all operations, differences between hospitals were explained by case mix. For individual types of surgery, case mix varied less between hospitals, and differences were explained largely by random variation. Although SSI rates may be used for monitoring quality improvement within hospitals, they should not be used for ranking hospitals.
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Laparoscopic lavage has recently emerged as a promising alternative to sigmoid resection in the treatment of perforated diverticulitis. This study examined an early experience with this technique. ⋯ Laparoscopic lavage for perforated diverticulitis was feasible in the majority of patients, but identification of an overt sigmoid perforation and patient selection are of critical importance.