How a New York cardiac surgery program uses outcomes data.

In New York State, a risk-adjusted outcomes system has been used by the Department of Health to monitor all cardiac operations since January 1989. Hospital-specific and physician-specific results are published annually. In this report we describe the experience of one hospital in New York State whose results showed a higher than expected surgical mortality. Staff reactions were initially skeptical, and case reviews found no quality-of-care problems. However, a different approach using statistical analysis of the detailed case-specific outcomes data was more revealing. The excess mortality was localized to patients having high-acuity, emergency coronary artery bypass grafting, particularly those who had suffered a preoperative acute myocardial infarction less than 6 hours before, those who were in shock, or those who were in a hemodynamically unstable condition. The staff responded with a focused effort to optimize the management of these patients, resulting in zero mortality for emergency coronary artery bypass grafting during the following year. In the process, staff from all departments joined together in a more collaborative approach to the cardiac surgery program. Outcomes data can be useful for effecting program improvement if comparable norms and open access for flexible analysis are available.

Predonated autologous blood use in elective cardiac surgery.

The risks of homologous blood transfusion are well documented and recently increased with the emergence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Preoperative autologous donation has been suggested to reduce these risks. This is a report concerning 104 consecutive adult autologous donors (group 1) who had an elective cardiac operation. A similar group of 111 patients operated on during the same period but without autologous blood donation was used for comparison (group 2). Both groups contained similar numbers of patients with coronary artery disease, valvular disease, and mixed lesions, and both had several patients with atrial septal defects. Group 2 patients (mean age, 67.8 years) were significantly older than group 1 patients (mean age, 58.9 years) (p less than 0.05). The mean donation in group 1 was 4.1 units, but 12 (11.5%) had to discontinue donations. Increasing angina in 10 (12.2%) of the 82 patients with coronary artery disease was the most common complication, and necessitated hospitalization in two instances. In 77 (75.5%) of the 102 group 1 patients who had operation and 23 (21%) of the 110 group 2 patients, no homologous blood products were required. Group 1 patients used significantly less homologous fresh frozen plasma (0.1 unit versus 0.97 unit; p less than 0.005) and packed red blood cells (0.6 unit versus 2.1 units; p less than 0.001) than group 2 patients. Group 1 patients received 3.3 and 3.1 units of autologous packed cells and plasma, respectively. No complications of autologous transfusion were seen. Predonation of autologous blood is an effective, safe method of reducing homologous blood requirements in elective cardiac operations, but it does carry some risk, especially in patients with coronary artery disease.

Four-year follow-up on the Albany experience with intrapleural BCG in lung cancer.

One hundred sixty-nine patients were entered into randomized controlled studies of intrapleural bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy after surgical resection of lung cancer. Long-term follow-up of our initial series of BCG-treated patients with Stage I disease continues to indicate that this treatment was superior to that given to control patients. The recurrence rate in the control population was high, 62% at 3 years. The recurrence rate was 33% at 3 years in the BCG-treated group. A negative preoperative tuberculin test and squamous cell histologic type were favorable prognostic factors for BCG-treated patients. The survival of patients with more advanced disease was not improved by BCG immunotherapy.

Acute traumatic disruption of the thoracic aorta: a ten-year experience.

During a ten-year period, 44 patients were treated for acute traumatic disruption of the thoracic aorta. Of the 44 patients, 21 had operative repair within 48 hours of injury (Group 1); 14 patients had operative therapy electively delayed for 2 to 79 days (Group 2); 5 had operative therapy electively delayed indefinitely (Group 3); 2 had immediate operative repair when a delayed diagnosis was made at 21 and 56 days, respectively (Group 4); 1 patient died during angiography and 1 refused operation (Group 5). Mortality was as follows: Group 1, 24%; Group 2, 14% Group 3, 0; Group 4, 100%; and Group 5, 100%. All operative deaths occurred in the subgroup of 23 patients in whom left heart bypass was utilized. Immediate operative intervention with a heparinized shunt is preferable as soon as the diagnosis of thoracic aortic disruption has been established, but elective delay of operation in patients with severe concomitant injuries can be achieved safely with beta blockade and antihypertensive therapy.

Systemic and pulmonary hemodynamic changes immediately following mitral valve replacement in man.

The immediate hemodynamic effects of mitral valve replacement were studied in patients with and without severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (systolic pressure greater than 50 mm Hg). In patients with severe pulmonary hypertension, mitral valve replacement resulted in significantly decreased pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Cardiac index increased significantly while heart rate remained unchanged. These data support the hypothesis that a reflexly induced reversible component is often responsible for the disproportionate pulmonary hypertension encountered in patients with mitral valve disease. "Fixed" or irreversible pulmonary hypertension was not encountered in this series.

The effect of ischemia on thallium-201 clearance from the myocardium.

To determine the effect of ischemia on myocardial clearance of thallium-201 (201Tl), we studied 12 dogs with ischemia produced after the injection of Tl. Tl was given I.V. 10 minutes before left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation. 85Sr-microspheres (MS) were administered 5 minutes later, and control biopsies were obtained from the myocardium. The LAD was tied and repeat biopsies obtained from the ischemic zone (IZ) and normal zone (NZ) 15 minures and 2 hours later. 46Sc-MS were given just before the final giopsy. Tl activity in the IZ was not significantly different from that in the NZ either before LAD occlusion or 15 minutes and 2 hours later. Tl clearance at the end of 2 hours was not significantly different (27 +/- 5% vs 28 +/- 5%, IZ vs NZ respectively) between the two zones. The half-time of Tl clearance from both the IZ and NZ was calculated at 4.5 hours (consistent with previously reported normal values). This occurred despite a decrease in regional myocardial blood flow to 24 +/- 6% of control (P less than 0.01) in the IZ and an increase to 47 +/- 14% of control (P less than 0.01) in the NZ during the study. We conclude that myocardial ischemia does not alter the normal rate of Tl clearance from the myocardium.

Disruption of a normal aortic valve as a result of blunt chest trauma.

Many cardiac lesions may result from nonpenetrating chest trauma. Myocardial contusions and lacerations are most common. Isolated valvular lesions are rare. The most common of these, in surviving patients, is aortic valve disruption (12). The course and management of a patient with a torn aortic valve as a result of nonpenetrating trauma are presented. Surgical replacement (porcine) of the valve and stabilization of the fractured sternum were followed by full recovery at 7 months postinjury.

Traumatic aortic rupture: an additional roentgenographic sign.

Esophageal displacement to the right at the level of the aortic arch and isthmus, as marked by an opaque nasoesophageal tube on anteroposterior chest roentgenogram is a useful sign in diagnosing traumatic aortic rupture. Finding this esophageal displacement in patients with blunt chest trauma warrants an immediate thoracic aortogram for demonstration of possible aortic injury.