VOA标准英语2010年-Surgery Outcomes Depend On Multiple, U

A new study suggests looking at volume of surgery alone may not be the best way of predicting surgical¹ success.

In recent years, a virtual library of medical research has concluded that, other factors being equal, complex surgery turns out better when it's done at hospitals where the procedure is done a lot. Now, a new study suggests it's not that simple.

Lung transplants are seriously complex surgeries, often performed on desperately² sick patients. Of thousands of hospitals in the United States, only 61 are authorized³ to do lung transplants. And some do it better than others.

One measure of success is the five-year survival rate, and the lead author of a new study says that number varied⁴ dramatically among the different medical centers doing lung transplants.

"And what we found is that there was a large variability in outcome among centers, that ranged between 30 percent at five years and 60 percent at five years," said Mayo Clinic researcher Gabriel Thabut.

He and his colleagues reviewed 20 years of records from more than 15,000 transplants. Some high-volume hospitals did as many as 120 transplants a year; other medical centers did only one. Success rates varied a lot, but according to their statistical⁵ analysis, only about one-eighth of the success depended on how many transplants the hospital did a year.

They report their findings in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association.

In an accompanying editorial, Edward Livingston of the University of Texas says the relatively⁶ small influence of volume on success of the transplants raises a big question.

"The remaining 88 percent of the variation from one [medical] center to another are unmeasured factors, that we don't quite know what those factors are."

The paper's authors tried to take into account other factors, but they admit it may not have been entirely⁷ possible to quantify differences in, for example, the recipient's health, which can be a big factor in the success of a transplant.

In the meantime, Thabut says it's important to focus on the details that separate the most successful transplant hospitals from the rest.

"We have to go to the best centers and try to identify specific practices at these centers that could be exported to lower performing centers."

Both the author and the editorial writer suggested that looking at volume of surgery alone may not be the best way of predicting surgical success.

 

1 surgical   

adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的

参考例句：

• He performs the surgical operations at the Red Cross Hospital.他在红十字会医院做外科手术。
• All surgical instruments must be sterilised before use.所有的外科手术器械在使用之前，必须消毒。

2 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

3 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

4 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

5 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。