Annual report on National Clinical Database 2021 for gastroenterological surgery in Japan

Aim: The Japanese National Clinical Database, which covers more than 95% of the surgeries performed in Japan, is the largest nationwide database. This is the 2021 annual report of the Gastroenterological Section of the National Clinical Database, which aims to present the short-term outcomes of cases registered in 2021 and discuss significant changes and insights into gastroenterological surgeries observed over the decade. Methods: We reviewed the data of patients registered in the National Clinical Database between 2012 and 2021. Results: In total, 5 788 093 cases, including 597 780 cases in 2021, were extracted from the National Clinical Database. The number of surgeries resumed its original trend after a uniform decrease due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The patient population continues to age, and the proportion of female patients is steadily increasing. The trend of surgeries being conducted in certified institutions with the involvement of board-certified surgeons is consistently rising. Moreover, the increasing trend of endoscopic surgery rate is still maintained. Although operative mortality is declining, the trend of increasing postoperative complications continues. Surgery on the esophagus, liver, and pancreas has shown substantial improvements in operative mortality, with a high participation rate of board-certified surgeons. Surgical procedures with a high incidence of emergency surgeries are characterized by low participation rates of board-certified surgeons, increased morbidity rates, and worse mortality outcomes. Conclusion: This overview of surgical patients in Japan, obtained using data extracted from the National Clinical Database, may serve as a critical cornerstone for the future development of gastroenterological surgery.