Neighborhood Opportunity, Hospital Volume, and Pediatric Postoperative Mortality

In this cohort study, higher neighborhood opportunity was associated with lower risk of in-hospital postoperative mortality among pediatric patients. Although care at high-volume hospitals is typically associated with improved outcomes, this association was not observed for children from disadvantaged neighborhoods. These findings suggest that, beyond hospital-level interventions, addressing area-level social drivers of health may be essential to improving surgical outcomes in pediatric populations.