Creation and implementation of an emergency general surgery registry modeled after the National Trauma Data Bank

Background: As emergency general surgery (EGS) evolves, an EGS patient-tracking database (EGS registry [EGSR]) similar to the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) will be essential to study outcomes and improve care. The goal of this study was to establish diagnostic ICD-9 codes to define EGS patients. The hypothesis was that creating standardized ICD-9-based inclusion criteria would facilitate patient identification for an EGSR and aid in its ongoing development.

Study design: We conducted a retrospective review of EGS admissions over a 9-month period to define ICD-9 diagnostic codes of patients admitted to our EGS service. Subsequently, prospective data were collected into the EGSR by testing ICD-9-based inclusion criteria over 1 month. Patient, hospital, and severity scoring variables, as well as quality assurance information, were identified.

Results: We identified 959 admissions to the EGS service over 9 months with 306 ICD-9 diagnosis codes that define EGS patients; the prospective population of the EGSR confirmed feasibility of ICD-9-based inclusion criteria. The EGSR captures 107 data points and 33 comorbidities per patient over 11 categories, akin to the 10 NTDB categories.

Conclusions: Following the model of the NTDB, we have successfully completed creation and initial implementation of an EGSR by using ICD-9-based inclusion criteria. Our comprehensive EGSR creates a prospective data-collection modality to capture and define EGS patients. A uniform patient-tracking EGSR, akin to the NTDB, will advance the science of acute care surgery, improve EGS patient outcomes, and facilitate multi-institutional collaboration.