Necrotising fasciitis deaths in Australia: patient characteristics and potential areas for improvement in clinical management.

Background: Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening bacterial infection with high mortality. This retrospective study aimed to investigate patient characteristics and potential areas for improvement in clinical management in NF cases in Australia.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of surgical death data from all public and private Australian hospitals in every state and territory, excluding New South Wales, collected through the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality for the 9-year period, January 2009 to February 2018.

Potentially avoidable issues in urology mortality cases in Australia: identification and improvements.

Background: This study aimed to identify the most common potentially avoidable factors in urology deaths, focusing on the lessons that can be learnt.

Methods: This study analysed data from a well-established and comprehensive peer review audit of surgical deaths in Australian hospitals (excluding New South Wales) from 2009 to 2015, focusing on urology cases with identified areas for improvement in patient management. Of all audited deaths, 11% (79/719) had serious clinical management issues with a total of 109 individual clinical management issues identified.

Mortality in Australian Cardiothoracic Surgery: Findings From a National Audit.

Background: Independent peer review of mortality cases has potential to identify issues in cardiothoracic surgical patients. The Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality aims to improve surgical care through peer-reviewed assessment of all surgical mortality. The aim of this study was to describe common clinical management issues that contribute to patient mortality in a cohort of Australian cardiothoracic surgical patients.

Appendicectomy mortality: an Australian national audit.

Background: Appendicectomy is a safe surgical procedure with minimal risks. Low mortality rates (0.04-0.

Fatal flaws in clinical decision making.

Background: Clinical decision making is a core competency of surgical practice, involving a continuous and evolving process of data interpretation and evaluation. The aim of this article is twofold. First, to recognize patient deaths where a clinical incident arose following unsatisfactory clinical decision making, determining where in the clinical decision-making process each failure occurred.

National surgical mortality audit may be associated with reduced mortality after emergency admission.

Background: The Western Australian Audit of Surgical Mortality was established in 2002. A 10-year analysis suggested it was the primary driver in the subsequent fall in surgeon-related mortality. Between 2004 and 2010 the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons established mortality audits in other states.

Perioperative Mortality Rates in Australian Public Hospitals: The Influence of Age, Gender and Urgency.

Introduction: A decline in surgical deaths has been observed in Australia since the introduction of the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM). The current study was conducted to determine whether the perioperative mortality rate (POMR) has also declined.

Methods: This study is a retrospective review of the POMR for surgical procedures in Australian public hospitals between July 2009 and June 2013, using data obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Potentially avoidable issues in neurosurgical mortality cases in Australia: identification and improvements.

Background: Mortality rates are commonly used to evaluate the quality of surgical care; however, a large proportion of surgical deaths are unavoidable. Examination of the potentially avoidable issues in surgical deaths can provide a strong basis for quality improvement. Using data from a well-established and comprehensive national surgical mortality audit, we sought to identify the most common avoidable factors in neurosurgical deaths, focusing on the lessons that can be learnt.