Evaluation of quality parameters of rectal cancer surgery at the Coloproctology Unit of Hospital de Braga

INTRODUCTION: Rectal cancer (RC) represents 1/3 of all diagnosed colorectal cancers. After the creation of specialized units to treat RC, it became fundamental to establish criteria to assess the quality of the service. Objective: To evaluate the surgical treatment provided to RC patients at the Coloproctology Unit of Hospital de Braga (BH-CU) by means of quality parameters. METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional descriptive study with a convenience sample of 149 patients undergoing surgical treatment in this unit, from January 1st, 2007 to June 30, 2010. RESULTS: We observed that the postoperative mortality rate (4%) and the global dehiscence rate (14.8%) were in accordance with recommended values. Sphincter sparing surgery rate (65.8%) was higher than the recommended minimum; however, more than 12 resected ganglia (36.6%) is inferior than what is recommended. The oncological results were analyzed by the local recurrence rate (6.7%) and the two-year survival rate (91.1%); both values are in accordance with literature. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the BH-CU surgical treatment has a quality level similar to that observed in literature.

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