Professional
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
operative mortality
Death occurring within 30 days of a surgical procedure or during the same hospitalization.
Full Definition
Operative mortality is a key quality metric in surgical critical care defined as death occurring within 30 days of a surgical procedure or during the same hospitalization if longer than 30 days. This outcome measure is used for quality assessment, risk stratification, and informed consent discussions. Operative mortality rates vary significantly by procedure complexity, patient comorbidities, and institutional factors, making it an important benchmark for surgical programs and a critical component of surgical critical care outcomes research.
Usage
Usage note: Distinguish from overall hospital mortality which may include non-operative deaths.
In Context
- "The operative mortality rate for this procedure is approximately 5%." — Informed consent discussion
- "Quality improvement initiatives focus on reducing operative mortality in high-risk patients." — Quality report
Also known as
30-day mortality
perioperative mortality
Don't confuse with
hospital mortality
in-hospital mortality