The 30-Day Versus In-Hospital and 90-Day Mortality After Esophagectomy as Indicators for Quality of Care

This single institution study evaluated differences in 30-day and 90-day mortality after esophagectomy in nearly 1300 patients.  30-day mortality was 2.9%, hospital mortalit was 5.1%, and 90-day mortality was 7%.  Late deaths were related to surgery (particularly the occurrence of anastomotic leakage), sudden death, and recurrent cancer.  The sensitivity of 30-day mortality in detecting surgery-related deaths was only 33%.