Variation in the Definition of ‘Failure to Rescue’ Limits Comparisons in Postoperative Studies

Researchers conducted a systematic review and analyzed 359 studies involving 212,048,069 patients to examine the variation in the definition of ‘failure to rescue’ from postoperative complications. They found that there was a wide range of complications included in the failure to rescue denominator, with a median of 10 complications per study. Studies that included more complications reported lower failure-to-rescue rates. Furthermore, death was included as a complication in 18% of the studies. Complications and mortality were predominantly measured in-hospital and within 30 days after surgery. The study highlights the need for standardized definitions for failure to rescue in order to facilitate comparisons between studies and improve perioperative quality indicators.