BACKGROUND:The WHO Surgical Safety Checklist has been implemented widely since its launch in 2008. It was introduced in Scotland as part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) between 2008 and 2010, and is now integral to surgical practice. Its influence on outcomes, when analysed at a population level, remains unclear.METHODS:This was a population cohort study. All admissions to any acute hospital in Scotland between 2000 and 2014 were included. Standardized differences were used to estimate the balance of demographics over time, after which interrupted time-series (segmented regression) analyses were performed. Data were obtained from the Information Services Division, Scotland.RESULTS:There were 12 667 926 hospital admissions, of which 6 839 736 had a surgical procedure. Amongst the surgical cohort, the inpatient mortality rate in 2000 was 0·76 (95 per cent c.i. 0·68 to 0·84) per cent, and in 2014 it was 0·46 (0·42 to 0·50) per cent. The checklist was associated with a 36·6 (95 per cent c.i. -55·2 to -17·9) per cent relative reduction in mortality (P < 0·001). Mortality rates before implementation were decreasing by 0·003 (95 per cent c.i. -0·017 to +0·012) per cent per year; annual decreases of 0·069 (-0·092 to -0·046) per cent were seen during, and 0·019 (-0·038 to +0·001) per cent after, implementation. No such improvement trends were seen in the non-surgical cohort over this time frame.CONCLUSION:Since the implementation of the checklist, as part of an overall national safety strategy, there has been a reduction in perioperative mortality.

Cutting balloon angioplasty (CBA) has been used in the revascularisation of coronary arteries; however, more recently a role has been suggested in the salvage of failing infrainguinal grafts. We report a case of a vein graft aneurysm following treatment of a vein graft stenoses using CBA. This is a rare complication of cutting balloon angioplasty which may become more prevalent as this technique becomes more widespread.

INTRODUCTION:Infective aortitis has become uncommon since the advent of antibiotic therapy. Aortitis, presenting as a localised perforation in a non-aneurysmal aorta, is extremely rare. We report the case of an 82-year-old woman who was diagnosed with localised perforation of a non-aneurysmal abdominal aorta secondary to staphylococcus aortitis.CASE PRESENTATION:An 82-year-old woman presented with a history of a sudden onset of back pain and pyrexia. A clinical examination did not reveal any significant findings attributable to her sepsis. As her clinical condition deteriorated rapidly, adequate resuscitation was commenced. Appropriate serology and radiological investigations, including a computed tomography scan, were performed. The computed tomography scan revealed a diagnosis of a non-aneurysmal infective abdominal aortitis with evidence of localised perforation. This was successfully treated under local anaesthetic with endovascular aortic repair and appropriate antibiotics. She recovered fully and was completely asymptomatic a year later.CONCLUSION:A detailed assessment is essential in the diagnosis of this condition as it can frequently be missed on initial evaluation of the affected patient. Clinical features are often nonspecific and can include fever, leucocytosis and bacteremia in the absence of a pulsatile or expansile mass. The patient may also complain of back pain, as in this case report. Thorough assessment, timely investigation and endovascular intervention prevented a potentially fatal condition in our patient.