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Anton Schittek, MD

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In March 2009, I started to review my colorectal cases. Comparison of my results with those published in the April issue of Archives could not be timelier.¹ I am a 66-year-old general surgeon, practicing in the same rural location (in 2 hospitals) for the past 18 years. The nearest tertiary care center is 70 miles away. Some patients choose to go there, believing the care there is superior. A small community is a proverbial fish bowl in which the surgeon and his or her mistakes are immediately visible to all.

My complete log of operations shows that my case volume of colorectal cases was relatively low, but I have had 0 anastomotic leaks. I counted all of my colorectal cases from December 1991 until March 2009. I was surprised at the small total number: only 102. The mean patient age was 68.2 years. I "brag" of my . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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