Frequency of surgical treatment and related hospital procedures in the UK: a national ecological study using hospital episode statistics.

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence of high activity, the number of surgical procedures performed in UK hospitals, their cost and subsequent mortality remain unclear.

METHODS

Time-trend ecological study using hospital episode data from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The primary outcome was the number of in-hospital procedures, grouped using three increasingly specific categories of surgery. Secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality, length of hospital stay and healthcare costs according to standard National Health Service tariffs.

RESULTS

Between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2014, 39 631 801 surgical patient episodes were recorded. There was an annual average of 7 926 360 procedures (inclusive category), 5 104 165 procedures (intermediate category) and 1 526 421 procedures (restrictive category). This equates to 12 537, 8073 and 2414 procedures per 100 000 population per year, respectively. On average there were 85 181 deaths (1.1%) within 30 days of a procedure each year, rising to 178 040 deaths (2.3%) after 90 days. Approximately 62.8% of all procedures were day cases. Median length of stay for in-patient procedures was 1.7 (1.3-2.0) days. The total cost of surgery over the 5 yr period was £54.6 billion ($104.4 billion), representing an average annual cost of £10.9 billion (inclusive), £9.5 billion (intermediate) and £5.6 billion (restrictive). For each category, the number of procedures increased each year, while mortality decreased. One-third of all mortalities in national death registers occurred within 90 days of a procedure (inclusive category).

CONCLUSIONS

The number of surgical procedures in the UK varies widely according to definition. The number of procedures is slowly increasing whilst the number of deaths is decreasing.