More evidence shows better outcomes for vascular surgery at high volume hospitals

Patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms have better chances of survival when they are operated on at hospitals that handle large numbers of cases, a new report shows.

Having elective surgery at hospitals with the greatest volume—those doing more than 32 repairs a year—reduced the odds of mortality by a third compared with the lowest volume centres, say researchers in the British Journal of Surgery (2007 Mar 14, doi: 10.1002/bjs.5725).

“Our research adds to the evidence that concentrating surgical resources in large centres of excellence can provide great benefit to patients. A bad …