# Mortality Audit in the Head and Neck Surgery Ward: A Retrospective Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan

## TL;DR

This study analyzed mortality in a head and neck surgery ward in Pakistan to identify causes and patterns of death over five years.

## Contribution

The study provides mortality audit data from a developing country's surgical department, highlighting key causes and demographics.

## Key findings

- The overall mortality rate was 1.4% with 53 deaths out of 3890 admissions.
- Head and neck malignancy was the most common cause of death, affecting 73.6% of cases.
- Mortality was higher in males and older patients, with a median age of 61.5 years.

## Abstract

Background

Mortality audit is important for healthcare workers, but this data is lacking in developing countries. It helps to provide material about the cause of death, mortality rate, age, and gender. In a surgical department, such information can help identify key public health challenges that are contributing to morbidity and mortality, and this information can help healthcare workers better tackle those pathologies and focus on their prevention and treatment.

Materials and methods

A retrospective study was conducted at the Department of ENT - Head and Neck Surgery, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital, Islamabad. Five-year data was collected from the mortality register of the ward from January 2019 to December 2023, including the age, gender, surgical diagnosis, course of hospital stay, and cause of death. The collected data was statistically analyzed and presented in the form of tables and figures.

Results

A total of 53 deaths in 3890 admissions were found on record, with an overall mortality rate of 1.4%. The median age of participants was 61.5 years, with a preponderance of the male gender (n=34; 64.2%). The most common cause of death was head and neck malignancy (n=39; 73.6%), followed by head and neck abscesses (n=9; 17%). The least common cause of death was diphtheria (n=2; 3.8%).

Conclusion

Death was more common in old-age patients, with more prevalence in the male population. The most common cause of mortality was head and neck malignancy. The total death count almost remained constant through the years.