Here's the Whipple Procedure survival rates for a Seattle Hospital.

[patcox2]

Interesting reading.

Pancreaticobiliary Cancer: Operative Mortality
In the April 11, 2002, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Birkmeyer and colleagues from Dartmouth University, Vermont, report their analysis of surgical mortality in the United States (N Engl J Med 2002 Apr 11;346(15):1128-37). Using information from the national Medicare claims database, they examined the relationship between hospital volume (total number of procedures performed per year) and mortality (death in hospital or within 30 days) for a variety of surgical procedures. The mortality rate for Whipple procedures (pancreaticoduodenectomy) at low-volume centers (16.3 percent) was much greater than the mortality rate at high-volume centers (3.8 percent). (Low volume = <1 case/year; high volume = >16 cases/year.)

With an annual case volume that exceeds 60 cases per year, operative mortality at Virginia Mason for Whipple procedures has been zero for more than a decade.

What was that about it having to be Johns Hopkins?

[swag]

1. This, like other threads on the subject, is eminently Lounge-worthy

I beseech the Admins and Mods to force this subject into the Lounge.

[EarlG]

2. With respect

Clearly there is still plenty of confusion about the facts of this case. We understand that people have questions, unfortunately we don't think that any of us are going to be able to get any answers by continuing to discuss this right now.

In previous posts we have told people how we plan to resolve the situation with Andy, until then there's really very little we can do.

Locking this now. Thank you for your understanding.