High hospital volume reduces postoperative mortality after esophagectomy

A study examining 6,234 esophagectomy cases across 161 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand found a significant correlation between hospital surgical volume and in-hospital mortality. Mortality rates were lowest at 0.73% in high-volume hospitals performing 21 or more surgeries annually. In contrast, low-volume hospitals reported mortality as high as 5.71%. High-volume centers also demonstrated shorter hospital and ICU stays, emphasizing the importance of surgical centralization for improved outcomes.