Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
Trends in Paediatric surgical volume and associated mortality in England: a nationwide study over an eight year period
Authors' conclusion
One in 14 surgical procedures were performed on children, with substantially lower mortality risk than adults.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged <18 yr undergoing surgery in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in England, 1 April 2015 to 31 December 2020 (supplementary data until March 2023)
- Participants
- 1,846,965 surgical procedures
- Outcome
- In-hospital mortality within 90 days after surgery
- Follow-up
- 90 days
Methodological detailsnationwide
- Nationwide
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- In-hospital deaths within 90 days after surgery
- 6 573/1 846 965 (0.36%)
- Trend for increasing mortality risk between 2015 and 2020
- P<0.05
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Hospital stay
- Median hospital stay (0-1), days
- 1
Annual surgical procedure volume
- Average annual procedures before the pandemic (2015-19)
- 340 596
- Annual procedures in 2023
- 266 049
- Reduction in volume
- 22%
Paediatric share of all surgical procedures
- Procedures for children among 36 605 870 surgical procedures
- 1 846 965 (5.0%)
Original publication
Trends in Paediatric surgical volume and associated mortality in England: a nationwide study over an eight year period. BJA Open. Published 25 November 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →