The primary endpoint was failure to rescue, defined as any mortality occurring among patients who experienced a major postoperative complication within 30 days after the operation, or later if the patient was still in hospital.
Any adverse event occurring during admission or within 30 days after surgery was considered a postoperative complication. These complications were classified according to the Clavien-Dindo standardized classification of postoperative morbidity (14 (link)) into major (grade III: complications that require endoscopic or radiological surgical reintervention with or without general anesthesia; grade IV: complications that threaten the life of the patient and require treatment in intensive or intermediate care and grade V: complications that lead to the death of the patient) and minor (grade I: any deviation from the normal postoperative period that does not require reoperation, including the administration of electrolyte solutions, antiemetics, antipyretics, analgesics and physiotherapy and grade II: complications that require pharmacological treatment different from the above, including blood products and parenteral nutrition).
Patients who experience minor or no complications were excluded.
Any adverse event occurring during admission or within 30 days after surgery was considered a postoperative complication. These complications were classified according to the Clavien-Dindo standardized classification of postoperative morbidity (14 (link)) into major (grade III: complications that require endoscopic or radiological surgical reintervention with or without general anesthesia; grade IV: complications that threaten the life of the patient and require treatment in intensive or intermediate care and grade V: complications that lead to the death of the patient) and minor (grade I: any deviation from the normal postoperative period that does not require reoperation, including the administration of electrolyte solutions, antiemetics, antipyretics, analgesics and physiotherapy and grade II: complications that require pharmacological treatment different from the above, including blood products and parenteral nutrition).
Patients who experience minor or no complications were excluded.
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