Brain surgery (craniotomy) mortality

A craniotomy is an operation to open the skull to expose the brain. Craniotomies are performed for many reasons, including repairing severe head injuries, removing tumors, and fixing damaged blood vessels in the brain.

Brain bleeding and aneurysms have a high risk of death. While some patients have higher risks than others, some of these complications may be avoidable.

About this measure

Mortality rate is the statistical measure of the number of people who die. Craniotomy mortality tracks the percentage of craniotomy patients who died.  A lower death rate may indicate that a hospital provides a higher level of patient care.

In this case, a lower number is better.