Larger hospitals significantly reduce mortality risk in esophagectomy procedures

A study analyzing over 14,000 minimally invasive esophagectomies reveals stark differences in perioperative mortality rates based on facility size. High-volume hospitals (≥30 procedures annually) boasted a much lower observed-to-expected mortality ratio (0.61) compared to smaller centers (<10 procedures, ratio of 1.368). Despite this, morbidity rates remained consistent across facility sizes. The findings advocate for consolidating esophageal cancer surgeries in larger, high-volume centers to improve patient outcomes.