POSSUM--a model for surgical outcome audit in quality care.

Comparative surgical audit to monitor quality of care should be performed with a risk-adjusted scoring system rather than using crude morbidity and mortality rates. A validated and widely applied risk adjusted scoring system, P-POSSUM (Portsmouth-Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality) methodology, was applied to a prospective series of predominantly general surgical patients at the Sarawak General Hospital, Kuching over a six months period. The patients were grouped into four risk groups. The observed mortality rates were not significantly different from predicted rates, showing that the quality of surgical care was at par with typical western series. The simplicity and advantages of this scoring system over other auditing tools are discussed. The P-POSSUM methodology could form the basis of local comparative surgical audit for assessment and maintenance of quality care.

Revascularization for foot salvage in diabetic critical foot ischaemia.

A consecutive series of 32 diabetic patients, 16 male and 16 female, who presented to the authors with critical limb ischaemia was reviewed over a two-year period. Atherosclerotic risk factors and co-morbidities were present in 56% of these patients. Diagnostic angiography was performed in all patients. Revascularization was achieved in 91% of the cases with three perioperative deaths. Ten bypasses were anastomosed distally to one of the crural or ankle arteries at the foot. Major amputations were required in five patients who had had revascularization and in 4 of these gross sepsis was the main factor responsible for limb loss despite patent grafts. The primary graft patency rates at one month and one year were 96% and 90% respectively. Surgical reconstruction was possible in the majority of diabetic patients with critical ischaemia and should be offered to patients preferably before the establishment of gross sepsis to improve limb salvage.

Risk-adjusted surgical audit with the POSSUM scoring system in a developing country. Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity.

BACKGROUND: The Physiological and Operative Severity Score for the enUmeration of Mortality and morbidity (POSSUM) is an objective and appropriate scoring system for risk-adjusted comparative general surgical audit. This score was devised in the UK and has been used widely, but application of POSSUM to centres outside the UK has been limited, especially in developing countries. This prospective study validated its application in a surgical practice with a different population and level of resources. METHODS: All general surgical patients who were operated on under regional or general anaesthesia as inpatients over a 4-month period at Sarawak General Hospital in 1999 were entered into the study. All data (12 physiological and six operative factors) were analysed for mortality only with the POSSUM equation and the modified Portsmouth POSSUM (P-POSSUM) equation. Comparisons were made between predicted and observed mortality rates according to four groups of risk: 0-4, 5-14, 15-49 and 50 per cent or more using the 'linear' method of analysis. RESULTS: There were 605 patients who satisfied the criteria for the study. Some 56.7 per cent of patients were in the lowest risk group. The POSSUM predictor equation significantly overestimated the mortality in this group, by a factor of 9.3. The overall observed mortality rate was 6.1 per cent and, again, the POSSUM predictor equation overestimated it at 10.5 per cent (P < 0.01). In contrast, the observed and predicted mortality rates for all risk groups, including the predicted overall mortality rate of 4.8 per cent, were comparable when the P-POSSUM predictor equation was used. CONCLUSION: The POSSUM scoring system with the modified P-POSSUM predictor equation for mortality was applicable in Malaysia, a developing country, for risk-adjusted surgical audit. This scoring system may serve as a useful comparative audit tool for surgical practice in many geographical locations.

Bleeding giant gastric ulcer.

BACKGROUND: A consecutive series of 269 cases of bleeding gastric ulcer were studied prospectively from 1979 to 1993 inclusive. METHOD: Fifty-five (21%) had a giant gastric ulcer with a diameter of 3 cm or more. These cases were compared with those with ulcers less than 3 cm in diameter in terms of clinical details, prognostic factors, urgent operation and outcome. RESULTS: Death occurred in 13 cases (5%), urgent surgery was performed in 75 cases (29%) and there were 11 postoperative deaths (15%) within a month of surgery. The patient details in the two groups matched in terms of age, sex distribution, ulcer history, previous complication and recent ingestion of analgesics. Clinical comparison showed that giant ulcer had a poorer prognosis with a higher mortality (10 vs 3%, P < 0.01), urgent surgery rate (65 vs 12%, P < 0.01) and operative mortality (23 vs 11%, difference not significant). Study of risk factors in patients with giant ulcer revealed significantly more with concurrent illness, shock, anaemia and endoscopic stigmata of recent haemorrhage. CONCLUSION: More severe bleeding and poorer general condition in the giant ulcer group stresses the importance of early diagnosis and accurate resuscitation in these patients. Survival depends on optimal condition and prompt and timely surgery.

Abdominal surgery in HIV/AIDS patients: indications, operative management, pathology and outcome.

Despite the increasing number of patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, surgical experience with these patients remains limited. A retrospective review over a 9 year period (January 1985 to December 1993) was undertaken to determine the indications, operative management, pathologic findings and outcome of major abdominal surgery in these patients. A total of 51 procedures were performed in 45 patients; 30 patients had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and 15 patients had asymptomatic HIV infection. Indications included gastrointestinal bleeding, complicated pancreatic pseudocysts, cholelithiasis, bowel obstruction, immune disorders, acute abdomens, elective laparotomy, colostomy formation, menorrhagia and Caesarean section. Pathologic findings directly related to the HIV infection were found in 81% of the AIDS patients and 35% of the asymptomatic HIV infected patients (P < 0.05). These included opportunistic infections, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, immune disorders, lymphadenopathy and pancreatic pseudocysts. It was noted that AIDS patients had more complications than asymptomatic HIV infected patients with most complications related to chest problems and sepsis (61 vs 7%; P < 0.01). Emergency operations carried a higher complication rate than elective operations though this was not significant. The hospital mortality was 12%. On follow up, 13 of the 25 AIDS patients had died with the median survival of 7 months, while three of the 14 asymptomatic HIV infected patients had died with the median survival of 40 months. Of the remaining patients, the 12 AIDS patients had a median postoperative follow up of 7 months and the 11 asymptomatic HIV infected patients had a median postoperative follow up of 29.5 months.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)