Stratification of complexity: The Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery-1 Method and The Aristotle Complexity Score – past, present, and future

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 163-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Lewis Jacobs ◽  
Jeffrey Phillip Jacobs ◽  
Kathy J. Jenkins ◽  
Kimberlee Gauvreau ◽  
David R. Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Risk Adjustment ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Case Mix ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Complexity Score

AbstractMeaningful evaluation of quality of care must account for variations in the population of patients receiving treatment, or “case-mix”. In adult cardiac surgery, empirical clinical data, initially from tens of thousands, and more recently hundreds of thousands of operations, have been used to develop risk-models, to increase the accuracy with which the outcome of a given procedure on a given patient can be predicted, and to compare outcomes on non-identical patient groups between centres, surgeons and eras.In the adult cardiac database of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, algorithms for risk-adjustment are based on over 1.5 million patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting and over 100,000 patients undergoing isolated replacement of the aortic valve or mitral valve. In the pediatric and congenital cardiac database of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, 61,014 operations are spread out over greater than 100 types of primary procedures. The problem of evaluating quality of care in the management of pediatric patients with cardiac diseases is very different, and in some ways a great deal more challenging, because of the smaller number of patients and the higher number of types of operations.In the field of pediatric cardiac surgery, the importance of the quantitation of the complexity of operations centers on the fact that outcomes analysis using raw measurements of mortality, without adjustment for complexity, is inadequate. Case-mix can vary greatly from program to program. Without stratification of complexity, the analysis of outcomes for congenital cardiac surgery will be flawed. Two major multi-institutional efforts have attempted to measure the complexity of pediatric cardiac operations: the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery-1 method and the Aristotle Complexity Score. Both systems were derived in large part from subjective probability, or expert opinion. Both systems are currently in wide use throughout the world and have been shown to correlate reasonably well with outcome.Efforts are underway to develop the next generation of these systems. The next generation will be based more on objective data, but will continue to utilize subjective probability where objective data is lacking. A goal, going forward, is to re-evaluate and further refine these tools so that, they can be, to a greater extent, derived from empirical data. During this process, ideally, the mortality elements of both the Aristotle Complexity Score and the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery-1 methodology will eventually unify and become one and the same. This review article examines these two systems of stratification of complexity and reviews the rationale for the development of each system, the current use of each system, the plans for future enhancement of each system, and the potential for unification of these two tools.

Evaluation of the Quality of Care in Congenital Heart Surgery: Contribution of the Aristotle Complexity Score

2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Lacour-Gayet ◽  
Jeffrey P. Jacobs ◽  
David R. Clarke ◽  
Bohdan Maruszewski ◽  
Marshall L. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Complexity Score

A retrospective study of perioperative clinical seizures and epilepsy in children after operation for CHD

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Takeshi Ikegawa ◽  
Shin Ono ◽  
Kouji Yamamoto ◽  
Mikihiro Shimizu ◽  
Sadamitsu Yanagi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Risk Adjustment ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
White Matter Integrity ◽  
Partial Regression Coefficient ◽  
Clinical Seizure

Abstract This study investigated the incidence and risk factors of perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy in children after operation for CHD. We included 777 consecutive children who underwent operation from January 2013 to December 2016 at Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Kanagawa, Japan. Perinatal, perioperative, and follow-up medical data were collected. Elastic net regression and mediation analysis were performed to investigate risk factors of perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy. Anatomic CHD classification was performed based on the preoperative echocardiograms; cardiac surgery was evaluated using Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery 1. Twenty-three (3.0%) and 15 (1.9%) patients experienced perioperative clinical seizure and epilepsy, respectively. Partial regression coefficient with epilepsy as the objective variable for anatomical CHD classification, Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery 1, and the number of surgeries was 0.367, 0.014, and 0.142, respectively. The proportion of indirect effects on epilepsy via perioperative clinical seizure was 22.0, 21.0, and 33.0%, respectively. The 15 patients with epilepsy included eight cases with cerebral infarction, two cases with cerebral haemorrhage, and three cases with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy; white matter integrity was not found. Anatomical complexity of CHD, high-risk cardiac surgery, and multiple cardiac surgeries were identified as potential risk factors for developing epilepsy, with a low rate of indirect involvement via perioperative clinical seizure and a high rate of direct involvement independently of perioperative clinical seizure. Unlike white matter integrity, stroke and hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy were identified as potential factors for developing epilepsy.

scholarly journals Verification of data in congenital cardiac surgery

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (S2) ◽  
pp. 177-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Clarke ◽  
Linda S. Breen ◽  
Marshall L. Jacobs ◽  
Rodney C.G. Franklin ◽  
Zdzislaw Tobota ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Thoracic Surgery ◽  
European Association ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Congenital Cardiac Surgery ◽  
The United Kingdom

AbstractAccurate, complete data is now the expectation of patients, families, payers, government, and even media. It has become an obligation of those practising congenital cardiac surgery. Appropriately, major professional organizations worldwide are assuming responsibility for the data quality in their respective registry databases.The purpose of this article is to review the current strategies used for verification of the data in the congenital databases of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, and The United Kingdom Central Cardiac Audit Database. Because the results of the initial efforts to verify data in the congenital databases of the United Kingdom and Europe have been previously published, this article provides a more detailed look at the current efforts in North America, which prior to this article have not been published. The discussion and presentation of the strategy for the verification of data in the congenital heart surgery database of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is then followed by a review of the strategies utilized in the United Kingdom and Europe. The ultimate goal of sharing the information in this article is to provide information to the participants in the databases that track the outcomes of patients with congenitally malformed hearts. This information should help to improve the quality of the data in all of our databases, and therefore increase the utility of these databases to function as a tool to optimise the management strategies provided to our patients.The need for accurate, complete and high quality Congenital Heart Surgery outcome data has never been more pressing. The public interest in medical outcomes is at an all time high and “pay for performance” is looming on the horizon. Information found in administrative databases is not risk or complexity adjusted, notoriously inaccurate, and far too imprecise to evaluate performance adequately in congenital cardiac surgery. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery databases contain the elements needed for assessment of quality of care provided that a mechanism exists within these organizations to guarantee the completeness and accuracy of the data. The Central Cardiac Audit Database in the United Kingdom has an advantage in this endeavour with the ability to track and verify mortality independently, through their National Health Service.A combination of site visits with “Source Data Verification”, in other words, verification of the data at the primary source of the data, and external verification of the data from independent databases or registries, such as governmental death registries, may ultimately be required to allow for optimal verification of data. Further research in the area of verification of data is also necessary. Data must be verified for both completeness and accuracy.

Anemia after Pediatric Congenital Heart Surgery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Anh La ◽  
Camille Jutras ◽  
George Gerardis ◽  
Rachel Richard ◽  
Geneviève Du Pont-Thibodeau
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Pediatric Intensive Care ◽  
Coarctation Of The Aorta ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Hypoplastic Left Heart ◽  
Age At Surgery ◽  
Left Heart Syndrome ◽  
Average Hemoglobin

AbstractThe postoperative course of infants following congenital heart surgery is associated with significant blood loss and anemia. Optimal transfusion thresholds for cardiac surgery patients while in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) remain a subject of debate. The goal of this study is to describe the epidemiology of anemia and the transfusion practices during the PICU stay of infants undergoing congenital heart surgery. A retrospective cohort study was performed in a PICU of a tertiary university-affiliated center. Infants undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease (CDH) before 6 weeks of age between February 2013 and June 2019 and who were subsequently admitted to the PICU were included. We identified 119 eligible patients. Mean age at surgery was 11 ± 7 days. Most common cardiac diagnoses were d-Transposition of the Great Arteries (55%), coarctation of the aorta (12.6%), and tetralogy of Fallot (11.8%). Mean hemoglobin level was 14.3 g/dL prior to surgery versus 12.1 g/dL at the PICU admission. Hemoglobin prior to surgery was systematically higher than hemoglobin at the PICU entry, except in infants with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The average hemoglobin at PICU discharge was 11.7 ± 1.9 g/dL. Thirty-three (27.7%) patients were anemic at PICU discharge. Fifty-eight percent of patients received at least one red blood cell (RBC) transfusion during PICU stay. This study is the first to describe the epidemiology of anemia at PICU discharge in infants following cardiac surgery. Blood management of this distinctive and vulnerable population requires further investigation as anemia is a known risk factor for adverse neurodevelopment delays in otherwise healthy young children.

Analysis of regional congenital cardiac surgical outcomes in Florida using The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Jacobs ◽  
James A. Quintessenza ◽  
Redmond P. Burke ◽  
Mark S. Bleiweis ◽  
Barry J. Byrne ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Regional Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Congenital Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Children's Medical Services

AbstractBackgroundFlorida is the fourth largest state in the United States of America. In 2004, 218,045 live babies were born in Florida, accounting for approximately 1744 new cases of congenital heart disease. We review the initial experience of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database with a regional outcomes report, namely the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Florida Regional Report.MethodsEight centres in Florida provide services for congenital cardiac surgery. The Children’s Medical Services of Florida provide a framework for quality improvement collaboration between centres. All congenital cardiac surgical centres in Florida have voluntarily agreed to submit data to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Duke Clinical Research Institute prepared a Florida Regional Report to allow detailed regional analysis of outcomes for congenital cardiac surgery.ResultsThe report of 2007 from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database includes details of 61,014 operations performed during the 4 year data harvest window, which extended from 2003 through 2006. Of these operations, 6,385 (10.5%) were performed in Florida. Discharge mortality in the data from Florida overall, and from each Florida site, with 95% confidence intervals, is not different from cumulative data from the entire Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database, both for all patients and for patients stratified by complexity.ConclusionsA regional consortium of congenital heart surgery centres in Florida under the framework of the Children’s Medical Services has allowed for inter-institutional collaboration with the goal of quality improvement. This experience demonstrates, first, that the database maintained by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons can provide the framework for regional analysis of outcomes, and second, that voluntary regional collaborative efforts permit the pooling of data for such analysis.

A National Survey: Current Clinical Practice in Pediatric Anesthesia for Congenital Heart Surgery

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-264
Author(s):  
Torsten Baehner ◽  
Nicholas Kiefer ◽  
Shahab Ghamari ◽  
Ingo Graeff ◽  
Christopher Huett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Anesthetic Management ◽  
Pediatric Anesthesia ◽  
Congenital Heart Surgery ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Volatile Agent ◽  
Congenital Cardiac Surgery ◽  
First Choice

Background: Providing anesthesia for pediatric patients undergoing congenital cardiac surgery is complex and requires profound knowledge and clinical experience. Prospective studies on best anesthetic management are missing, partially due to different standards. The aim of the present study was to survey the current standard practice in anesthetic management in pediatric cardiac surgical centers in Germany. Methods: All 78 cardiac surgical centers in Germany were reviewed for a congenital cardiac surgery program. Centers with an active program for congenital cardiac surgery were interviewed to participate in the present online questionnaire to assess their current anesthetic practice. Results: Twenty-seven German centers running an active program for congenital heart surgery were identified, covering more than 3,000 pediatric cardiac surgeries annually. Of these centers, 96.3% (26/27) participated in our survey. Standard induction agents were etomidate in 26.9% (7/26), propofol in 19.2% (5/26), a combination of benzodiazepines and ketamine in 19.2% (5/26), and barbiturates in 11.5% (3/26). General anesthesia was preferentially maintained using volatile agents, 61.5% (16/26), with sevoflurane being the most common volatile agent within this group, 81.2% (13/16). Intraoperative first-choice/first-line inotropic drug was epinephrine, 53.8% (14/26), followed by milrinone, 23.1% (6/26), and dobutamine 15.4% (4/26). Fast-track programs performing on-table extubation depending on the type of surgical procedure were established at 61.5% (16/26) of the centers. Conclusion: This study highlights the diversity of clinical standards in pediatric cardiac anesthesia for congenital cardiac surgery in Germany.

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