Background: Case cancellation can be very distressing not only to the patient and relatives but also to health care professionals.
Objectives: This study aims at detecting the causes of case cancellations on the intended day of surgery (DOS) at a tertiary hospital in Enugu that handles both elective and emergency cases.
Methods: The data was extracted retrospectively from the anesthetists' daily activity book during a period of 32 months. The reasons for cancellation were then sorted into one of 5 groups
Results: There were 226 causes of case cancellation. The commonest reasons for cancellation were unavailability of the surgeons (35.8%).
Conclusion: Preventable causes of case cancellation were the most prominent.
Keywords: case cancellation; reasons operation room.