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Introduction
Day surgery is the planned admission of a surgical patient for an elective or semi-elective procedure where the patient is admitted, undergoes surgery and is discharged on the same calendar day.2 If the patient remains in a hospital bed overnight on the day of their surgery they are classed as having undergone inpatient surgery. The term ‘23-hour stay’...
Introduction
Vascular services are recognised as having a high priority in the UK. Publication of evidence that the outcome from abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery was significantly worse in the UK than in comparable countries,1 and the 2005 NCEPOD Report ‘AAA a service in need of surgery’, led to a national Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Quality Improvement Programme (AAAQIP)...
Introduction
It is nearly two decades since it was widely reported that the outcome from abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery was significantly worse in the UK than in comparable countries.1 The 2005 NCEPOD report Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A service in need of surgery2 subsequently led to a national Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Quality Improvement Programme (AAAQIP) being introduced...
Introduction
Day surgery is the planned admission of a surgical patient for a procedure where the patient is admitted, undergoes surgery and is discharged on the same calendar day.1 If the patient remains in a hospital bed overnight on the day of their surgery they are classed as having undergone inpatient surgery. The term ‘23-hour stay’ surgery is short-stay...
Introduction
Pregnancy and childbirth remains a risky time for both mother and baby. In recent years, we have seen the maternal mortality rate plateau.7,8,9
However, the confidential review of every maternal death over the past seven decades continues to identify that substandard care, frequently caused by deficiencies in service provision, has led to avoidable...
Introduction
Cardiac anaesthesia services are provided for patients undergoing cardiac procedures. To reflect current practice, these guidelines have been more clearly divided to identify areas of differing requirement. Anaesthetists in cardiac surgical services are now more frequently required to provide anaesthesia for invasive cardiology procedures in the catheter laboratory. Intraoperative transoesophageal echocardiography is a specialist skill that cardiac anaesthetists are...
Introduction
Thoracic anaesthesia services are provided for patients undergoing thoracic procedures. To reflect current practice, these guidelines have been more clearly divided to identify areas of differing requirement.
Thoracic surgery may include surgery on the lungs (including lung transplantation), pleura, thymus, oesophagus and other thoracic structures, as well as the chest wall. Less invasive video assisted surgery is now mainstream...