Abstract
Fourteen years have passed since I was appointed to Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital. This report traces the history of my work. My objectives at Shizuoka Hospital are 1) to provide safe and reliable medical services, 2) to receive referrals and treat both outpatients and inpatients, and 3) to broaden my surgical experience. Regarding surgical experience, I had performed about 400 operations per year before I came to this hospital. Since my appointment, however, the number of operations has increased annually, reaching a total of 748 operations in 2000. In 2002, the Shizuoka Cancer Center was opened in the eastern region of Shizuoka Prefecture. Perhaps because of this new facility, the number of operations has remained stable at about 700 per year. Our hospital is a tertiary critical care center. Many patients who require emergency surgery have been transferred to our hospital. About 30% of all surgical patients undergo emergency surgery. I describe my experience with patients who have been brought by ambulance to our hospital because of colonic perforation and describe the effects of seat belts on gastrointestinal and mesenteric injuries due to traffic accidents.
