Perioperative Mortality Rates as a Health Metric for Acute Abdominal Surgery in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Future Recommendations

Background Approximately 5 billion people do not have access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical and anesthesia care, with this number disproportionately affecting those from low–middle-income countries (LMICs). Perioperative mortality rates (POMRs) have been identified by the World Health Organization as a potential health metric to monitor quality of surgical care provided. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate published reports of POMR and suggest recommendations for its appropriate use as a health metric.