Table 1.

Characteristics of patients included in each timed data collection at baseline (2013–2014) and after PDSA cycle 1 (2017) and cycle 3 (2018)

	December 2013–June 2014	February–July 2017	June–November 2018
n	88	62	61
Age (years)	66 (33–83)	67 (26–86)	72 (44–88)
M:F	61:27	40:21	43:18
Surgery
STO	33	34	37
STG	32	13	14
TG	12	11	7
Wedge resection	2	3	0
Other	4	1	2
Length of stay, critical care (days*)	1 (0–2) (0–14)	2 (0–3) (0–24)	2 (2.0–4.5) (0–240)
Length of say in the hospital (days)	11.5 (9–16) (0–47)	9.5 (7–16) (3–167)	10 (8.0–15.5) (3–40)†
In-hospital mortality	1	2	0
Presenting Hb at PAC (g/L)	–	122 (122–146) (88–159)	132 (117–144) (77–179)
Preoperative Hb (g/L)	125.4 (116–136) (77–171)	131 (119–137) (98–159)	130 (120–140) (95–174)

Values are median (IQR) (range).

*Critical care admission length of stay is calculated from the number of calendar days or part days that the patient was cared for in critical care.

†One patient remains an inpatient at the time of writing (240 days), awaiting home ventilator support for discharge.

Hb, haemoglobin; PAC, preoperative assessment clinic; PDSA, plan–do–study–act; STG, subtotal gastrectomy; STO, two-stage subtotal oesophagectomy; TG, total gastrectomy.