The Medical journal of Australia
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To assess the incidence and nature of postoperative serious adverse events (SAEs) among inpatients having surgery in a tertiary hospital, and to determine which subgroups of patients might be at greatest risk. ⋯ SAEs are common and result in high mortality, especially in older surgical inpatients and those having unscheduled surgery. These findings raise important issues of optimal perioperative management in tertiary hospitals.