Commentary on clinical indicators for 6 months to end June 2013

Clinical indicators to end June 2013. During this period I had major shoulder surgery and did not operate for almost 3 months. As a consequence the numbers are less than normal. There was one patient who was transfused unexpectedly. She had very substantial endometriosis and required a significant section of bowel to be removed and a semi-planned stoma. She ultimately recovered well and the stoma has been reversed. A second patient had substantial endometriosis with the rectosigmoid adherent to the posterior aspect of the uterus. She underwent hysterectomy and the bowel was thought to be only superficially involved so no area of bowel was removed. The bowel was leak tested successfully but on postoperative day 6 a rectovaginal fistula developed and she required a defunctioning colostomy.