Characteristics of unplanned re-operation in a Maternity and Child Hospital from 2019 to 2022

Objective  Based on the medical records of unplanned re-operation analysis, the characteristics of distribution were obtained and corresponding corrective measures were put forward to improve the hospital’s refined management level and medical quality continuously.

Methods  A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of all surgical patients from January 1^st, 2019 to December 31^st, 2022 in a Maternity and Child Hospital. Trend Chi-square test was used to analyze annual incidence of unplanned re-operation. Chi-square test was used to analyze the incidence of unplanned re-operation in different departments and different surgery levels.

Results  There were 130 cases of unplanned re-operation in the Maternity and Child Hospital from 2019 to 2022, with an incidence of 0.10%, and the incidence of unplanned re-operation showed a downward trend year by year (χ²_trend = 4.33, P = 0.037). Patients with unplanned re-operation were mainly under 14 years old, and 0 − 3 years old age group accounted the most (56.15%). Six departments were involved in unplanned re-operation, among which the incidence of pediatric surgery was the highest (0.80%). In terms of the surgery level, the incidence of re-operation with level 4 for the first operation was higher (0.48%). The main reasons for re-operation were intestinal obstruction, postoperative hemorrhage (hematoma), anastomotic leakage, postoperative adhesion, and the first operation did not reach expectations, while intestinal obstruction, anastomotic leakage, and postoperative adhesion were also main reasons for unplanned re-operation in the first section of pediatric surgery.

Conclusion  Based on analyzing the characteristics of unplanned re-operation in hospitals, and taking measures targeting on key problems in key departments, the incidence of unplanned re-operation in the Maternity and Child Specialized Hospital shows a downward trend from 2019 to 2022. However, there is still room for further improvement, and the establishment of a refined quality control assessment management model in the hospital based on disease types is the direction of further breakthrough and exploration.