Poorest patients most at risk from emergency surgery

The risk of dying as a result of emergency surgery is significantly higher for patients living in the most deprived areas, a new UCL-led study finds. The research, published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia , examined the outcomes of nearly 59,000 patients who underwent an emergency laparotomy - one of the most commonly performed major emergency surgical procedures. Researchers found that even after adjusting for pre-existing conditions at the time of surgery, the risk of dying for patients from the most deprived areas was 29% higher, compared with those from more affluent areas. The study also found significant regional variations with nearly a quarter of the most deprived patients living in the North West. The least deprived patients were more widely distributed, but predominantly lived in the South and South East of England. Researchers say we need to look to factors such as housing, childcare, employment and working conditions to determine how to achieve better outcomes for the poorest patients. Commenting on the findings, lead author Dr Tom Poulton (UCL Division of Surgery & Interventional Science) said:  "We need to be looking beyond acute patient care provided immediately before, during and after surgery.