Key result
Elective colorectal surgery is linked to a ~27% higher proportion of preventable deaths versus emergency surgery.
Why the study?
Many deaths after colorectal resection may be preventable, but administrative datasets offer limited insight into clinical processes leading to mortality.
Population
1058 adults who died after elective or emergency colorectal resection between 2010 and 2023
Design
National retrospective cohort study of prospectively collected audit data
Authors
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Suggests opportunities to reduce post-colorectal resection mortality; Level 3 evidence leaves open whether targeted interventions can achieve this.
Cohort (n=1,058)
Yes
Absolute Event Rate: 35.3% vs 27.8%
p-value: p=0.01
Nearly one third of audited deaths after colorectal surgery were potentially preventable, highlighting the need for improved preoperative triage, multidisciplinary decision-making, and postoperative surveillance.
Wells et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Colorectal surgery mortality (n=1,058). Elective colorectal surgery vs. Emergency colorectal surgery was evaluated on Potentially preventable mortality (p=0.01). Elective colorectal surgery was associated with a higher proportion of potentially preventable deaths compared to emergency surgery (35.3% vs 27.8%, p=0.01) among 1,058 postoperative deaths.
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