Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery

Purpose: Trends towards surgical sub-specialisation to improve patient-outcomes are well-documented and largely supported by evidence. However few studies have examined whether this benefit exists within adult-cardiac surgery. To answer whether sub-specialisation within adult-cardiac surgery improve...

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Main Authors: Ch'ng, S., Cochrane, A., Wolfe, R., Reid, Christopher, Smith, C., Smith, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier Australia 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32571
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author Ch'ng, S.
Cochrane, A.
Wolfe, R.
Reid, Christopher
Smith, C.
Smith, J.
author_facet Ch'ng, S.
Cochrane, A.
Wolfe, R.
Reid, Christopher
Smith, C.
Smith, J.
author_sort Ch'ng, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose: Trends towards surgical sub-specialisation to improve patient-outcomes are well-documented and largely supported by evidence. However few studies have examined whether this benefit exists within adult-cardiac surgery. To answer whether sub-specialisation within adult-cardiac surgery improves patient-outcomes, this study assessed the relationship between procedure-specific and total-cardiac surgeon-volume and mortality and morbidity in cardiac-valve and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods: Data came from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) registry from 2001 to 2010 and included 23 hospitals, 109 surgeons, 20,619 patients with isolated-CABG-surgery and 11,536 patients with a valve-procedure. Hierarchical logistic regression using generalised estimating equations was used to analyse outcomes. Measures included operative-mortality and occurrence of a complication (deep sternal wound infection, new stroke, acute kidney injury). Results: Crude operative mortality (and complication rates) were 1.7% (4.9%) and 4% (11%) in the isolated-CABG and valve-surgical populations respectively. A greater procedure-specific surgeon volume was associated with reduced mortality and complication rates in valve-surgery but not isolated-CABG. There was a 33% decrease in odds of dying for every additional 50 valve procedures performed [OR 0.67, p=0.003]. Conversely, greater total-cardiac surgical volume for individual surgeons did not result in improved outcomes, for both isolated-CABG and valve populations. Conclusions: Our finding of an association between increased valve-specific surgeon volumes with improved valve-surgery outcomes, and absence of an association between these outcomes and annual total-cardiac surgical experience supports the case for sub-specialisation specifically within the field of valve surgery.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-325712017-09-13T15:22:41Z Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery Ch'ng, S. Cochrane, A. Wolfe, R. Reid, Christopher Smith, C. Smith, J. High-volume Hospital Adult cardiac surgery Coronary artery bypass Specialization Valve surgery Purpose: Trends towards surgical sub-specialisation to improve patient-outcomes are well-documented and largely supported by evidence. However few studies have examined whether this benefit exists within adult-cardiac surgery. To answer whether sub-specialisation within adult-cardiac surgery improves patient-outcomes, this study assessed the relationship between procedure-specific and total-cardiac surgeon-volume and mortality and morbidity in cardiac-valve and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Methods: Data came from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) registry from 2001 to 2010 and included 23 hospitals, 109 surgeons, 20,619 patients with isolated-CABG-surgery and 11,536 patients with a valve-procedure. Hierarchical logistic regression using generalised estimating equations was used to analyse outcomes. Measures included operative-mortality and occurrence of a complication (deep sternal wound infection, new stroke, acute kidney injury). Results: Crude operative mortality (and complication rates) were 1.7% (4.9%) and 4% (11%) in the isolated-CABG and valve-surgical populations respectively. A greater procedure-specific surgeon volume was associated with reduced mortality and complication rates in valve-surgery but not isolated-CABG. There was a 33% decrease in odds of dying for every additional 50 valve procedures performed [OR 0.67, p=0.003]. Conversely, greater total-cardiac surgical volume for individual surgeons did not result in improved outcomes, for both isolated-CABG and valve populations. Conclusions: Our finding of an association between increased valve-specific surgeon volumes with improved valve-surgery outcomes, and absence of an association between these outcomes and annual total-cardiac surgical experience supports the case for sub-specialisation specifically within the field of valve surgery. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32571 10.1016/j.hlc.2014.11.014 Elsevier Australia restricted
spellingShingle High-volume
Hospital
Adult cardiac surgery
Coronary artery bypass
Specialization
Valve surgery
Ch'ng, S.
Cochrane, A.
Wolfe, R.
Reid, Christopher
Smith, C.
Smith, J.
Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title_full Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title_fullStr Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title_full_unstemmed Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title_short Procedure-specific Cardiac Surgeon Volume associated with Patient outcome following Valve Surgery, but not Isolated CABG Surgery
title_sort procedure-specific cardiac surgeon volume associated with patient outcome following valve surgery, but not isolated cabg surgery
topic High-volume
Hospital
Adult cardiac surgery
Coronary artery bypass
Specialization
Valve surgery
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/32571