title: [Causes of postoperative death in pediatric surgery--a comparative analysis of 3 decades].
abstract: Causes of postoperative deaths at our clinic from 1949 to 1982 were analysed. The most important results were: the overall lethality of the patients operated on was 1.5%; in 1985, however, it was only 0.19%. Infection was with 27.7% the predominant cause of postoperative death in all patients, followed by pneumonia with 20.3% and death from the underlying disease with 18.8%. Combining the groups infection and pneumonia, it turns out that nearly one-half (48%) of the children succumbed to infectious diseases. Classification of the causes of postoperative deaths in 5 different age groups revealed that more than a half of the deaths occurred in the neonatal period and 20% still in infancy. Furthermore, particularly newborn and infants died from postoperative infection. From 1976-1982 no child beyond the 4th year of life succumbed to an infection or pneumonia. The analysis presented is based on post-mortem protocols. From 1970 on-ward post-mortem examination was performed in 80% of the children who had died.
authors.affiliation: Kinderchirurgische Klinik, Universität München.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Hecker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005860:Germany, West; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000401:mortality; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000401:mortality*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012769:Shock / Q000401:mortality; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000401:mortality
vernacular_title: Postoperative Todesursachen in der Kinderchirurgie--Eine vergleichende Analyse aus 3 Jahrzehnten.