Geographic Influences on Emergency Laparotomy Outcomes

Introduction 'Emergency Laparotomy' is an umbrella term for a set of commonly performed procedures which are known to carry a significant risk of mortality and morbidity. Previous work has shown considerable inter-hospital variation in emergency laparotomy outcomes within the United Kingdom. It is unknown whether there are significant differences in outcomes following laparotomy which may be explained by geographic factors. Aims The aim of this study is to describe emergency laparotomy outcomes in Scotland as they vary by the urban-rural nature of the patient's home location and travel time from hospital. Methods This research study is a retrospective observational enquiry which will utilise administrative data from the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland. Patient episodes will be identified by a set of procedure codes for emergency laparotomy, and the urban-rural classification of patients will be derived from postcode data. Travel time from hospital will also be derived from postcode data. The investigators will study a 10 year period from January 2001 to December 2010. The primary outcome measure will be risk-adjusted 30 day/inpatient mortality, and secondary outcome measures will be 30 day readmission rate, 30 day re-operation rate and post-operative length of stay.