The operative mortality in over 7,000 consecutive cases at a Veterans Administration Medical Center is defined. The mortality in elective procedures is low by most standards and is usually associated with a malignant disease. Older patients appear to have an increased operative mortality. Sepsis is the major factor in death after elective and emergency procedures. Age is a critical factor associated with mortality in this population. Preexisting disease (pulmonary, cardiac, hepatic, and malignant) plays a role in determining outcome. Despite these factors it is possible to achieve excellent operative mortality results in a hospital with a commitment to resident training. An aggressive diagnostic and therapeutic approach is considered reasonable to support these patients with multisystem disease. This often includes the extensive use of expensive resources such as preoperative hospitalization with nutritional support and prolonged stays in the surgical intensive care unit postoperatively.