The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement Plus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Composite Score: A Report of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Quality Measurement Task Force

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation to Treat Degenerated Aortic, Mitral and Tricuspid Bioprosthesis

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is now well established as the treatment of choice for patients with native aortic valve stenosis who are high or intermediate risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. Recent data has also supported the use of TAVI in patients at low surgical risk and also in anatomical subsets that were previously felt to be contra-indicated including bicuspid aortic valves and aortic regurgitation. With advancements and refinements in procedural techniques, the application of this technology has now been further expanded to include the management of degenerated bioprosthesis. After the demonstration of feasibility and safety in the management of degenerated aortic bioprosthetic valves, mitral and tricuspid bioprosthetic valve treatment is now also well-established and provides an attractive alternative to performing redo surgery. In this review, we appraise the latest clinical evidence and highlight procedural considerations when utilising TAVI technology in the management of degenerated aortic, mitral or tricuspid prosthesis.

Quality of Life and Social Functioning of Patients After Cardiosurgical Interventions

The objective: to study the quality of life (QOL) and social functioning of patients who underwent cardiosurgery intervention (CSI) with the use of artificial circulation (AR) in the postoperative period, to determine and improve the system for further medical, psychological and social rehabilitation. Materials and methods. 700 patients who underwent CSI with the use of AR were treated at the Heart Institute of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. 86 patients had cerebral infarction (CI), 217 patients with signs of postoperative encephalopathy, and 504 patients with signs of cognitive dysfunction. The level of QOL and social functioning in patients with this pathology was analyzed. Statistical analysis of differences in the quantitative values of indicators was performed using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. Results. It was found that patients after CSI had generally low levels of QOL in all fields, namely in the indicators of psychological (emotional) well-being, general perception of life, ability to work, physical well-being, personal realization, selfcare and independence; interpersonal interaction. The presence of ischemic and neurological complications in patients after CSI significantly reduces the QOL indicators in all areas, with differences in the quantitative values of such patients statistically significant (p<0,01) compared to the groups of patients without such complications. The most significant deterioration of QOL is found in patients with cerebral infarction in the postoperative period, slightly less significant – in patients with signs of postoperative encephalopathy, and the smallest changes – in patients with signs of cognitive dysfunction. Conclusions. The main task of modern cardiac surgery is not only to save the patient from death, but also to improve the quality of life (QOL). At the same time, patients after cardiac surgery are at risk of developing ischemic, neurological complications that significantly reduce QOL in all areas of life. That is why it is necessary to take into account the findings of the study in the development of treatment and rehabilitation programs and preventive measures for such patients.

Feasibility of percutaneous coronary intervention before mitral NeoChord implantation: Single-center early results

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY

Micro-invasive cardiac surgery identifies procedures performed off-pump, on beating heart. Aim of this single-center retrospective study was to assess early outcomes of a totally micro-invasive strategy (percutaneous coronary intervention-PCI-followed by transapical off-pump NeoChord mitral repair) in patients with concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) and degenerative mitral regurgitation (MR).

METHODS

We analyzed early and 1-year follow-up data of patients who underwent a NeoChord procedure between November 2013 and May 2020, and preceded by PCI. Outcomes were defined according to Mitral Valve Academic Research Consortium (MVARC) definitions.

RESULTS

Among 220 patients who underwent NeoChord repair in the study period, 17 (7.7%) underwent PCI previously. CAD was an accidental finding during preoperative mitral evaluation in nine patients (52.9%; Group 1; with PCI occurring 2 months before NeoChord, interquartile range [IQR] = 1.0-2.7), while it was part of the past medical history in the remaining eight patients (47.1%; Group 2; with PCI occurring 30 months before NeoChord, IQR = 24.5-64.0). Twelve patients (70.6%) presented single-vessel disease, two patients (11.8%) triple-vessel disease. No surgical revisions for bleeding were required after NeoChord. At 1-year follow-up (n = 16), all patients were alive and did not experience major adverse events except for one reoperation due to late NeoChord failure. None required additional PCI.

CONCLUSION

In our experience, PCI before NeoChord seems safe and effective, and performing PCI before NeoChord might not affect outcomes. A totally micro-invasive strategy in selected patients suffering from MR and CAD should be considered as a reasonable alternative to conventional surgery.

The STS Participant-Level, Multi-Procedural Composite Measure for Adult Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND

Composite performance measures for STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participants (typically hospital departments or practice groups) are currently available only for individual procedures. To assess overall participant performance, STS has developed a composite metric encompassing the most common adult cardiac procedures.

METHODS

Analyses included 1-year (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019) and 3-year (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2019) time windows. Operations included isolated CABG, isolated AVR, isolated mitral valve repair (MVr) or replacement (MVR), AVR+CABG, MVr/MVR+CABG, AVR+MVr/MVR, and AVR+MVr/MVR+CABG. The composite was estimated using Bayesian hierarchical models with risk-adjusted mortality and morbidity endpoints. Star ratings were based on whether the 95% credible interval of a participant's score was entirely below (1-star), overlapped (2-star), or was above (3-star) the STS average composite score.

RESULTS

The North American procedural mix in the 3-year study cohort was 448,569 CABG, 72,067 AVR, 35,708 MVr, 29,953 MVR, 45,254 AVR+CABG, 12,247 MVr+CABG, 10,118 MVR+CABG, 3,743 AVR+MVr, 6,846 AVR+MVR, and 3,765 AVR+(MVr/MVR)+CABG. Mortality and morbidity weightings were similar for 1- and 3-year analyses (76% and 24%, [3-year]), as were composite score distributions (median 94.7%, IQR 93.6% to 95.6%, [3-year]). The 3-year timeframe was selected for operational use because of higher model reliability (0.81 [0.78 - 0.83]) and better outlier discrimination (26% 3-star, 16% 1-star). Risk-adjusted outcomes for 1-, 2-, and 3-star programs were 4.3%, 3.0%, and 1.8% mortality, and 18.4%, 13.4%, and 9.7% morbidity, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The STS participant-level, multi-procedural composite measure provides comprehensive, highly reliable, overall quality assessment of adult cardiac surgery practices.

The STS CABG composite measure: 2021 methodology update

BACKGROUND

The original STS CABG composite measure uses a 1-year analytic cohort and 98% credible intervals (CrI) to classify better (3-star) or worse (1-star) than expected performance. As CABG volumes per STS participant (e.g., hospital or practice group) have decreased, it has become more challenging to classify performance categories using this approach, especially for lower volume programs, and alternative approaches have been explored.

METHODS

Among 990 STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participants, performance classifications for the CABG composite were studied using various analytic cohorts: single year (current approach, 2017); 3 years (2015-2017); last 450 cases within 3 years; most recent year (2017) plus additional cases to 450 total. We also compared 98% CrI with 95% CrI (used in other STS composite measures).

RESULTS

Using 3 years of data and 95% CrI's, 113 of 990 participants (11.4%) were classified 1-star and 198 (20%) 3-star. Compared with 1-year analytic cohorts and 98% CrI, the absolute and relative increases in the proportion of 3-star participants were 14 percentage points and 233% (n=198[20%] versus n=59[6%]). Corresponding changes for 1-star participants were 6.5 percentage points and 133% (n=113[11.4%] versus n=48[4.9%]). These changes were particularly notable among lower volume (<199 CABG/year) participants. Measure reliability with the 3-year, 95% CrI modification is 0.78.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with current STS CABG composite methodology, a 3-year analytic cohort and 95% CrI increases the number and proportion of better or worse than expected outliers, especially among lower-volume ACSD participants. This revised methodology is also now consistent with other STS procedure composites.

Failure to Rescue: A New Society of Thoracic Surgeons Quality Metric for Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND

Failure to rescue (FTR) focuses on the ability to prevent death among patients who experience postoperative complications. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Quality Measurement Task Force has developed a new, risk- adjusted FTR quality metric for adult cardiac surgery.

METHODS

The study population was taken from 1118 STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participants including patients who underwent isolated CABG, aortic valve replacement +/- CABG, or mitral valve repair/replacement, +/- CABG between January, 2015 and June, 2019. The FTR analysis was derived from patients who experienced ≥ 1 of the following complications: prolonged ventilation, stroke, reoperation, and renal failure. Data were randomly split into 70% training (n=89,059) and 30% validation samples (n=38,242),Risk variables included STS predicted risk of mortality, operative procedures, and intraoperative variables (cardiopulmonary bypass and cross-clamp times, unplanned procedures, need for circulatory support, and massive transfusion).

RESULTS

Overall mortality for the for patients undergoing any of the index operations during the study period was 2.6% (27,045/1,058,138), with mortality of 0.9% (8,316/930,837), 8.0% (7,618/94,918), 30.6% (8,247/26,934), 51.9%(2,661/5,123), and 62.3% (203/326) among patients suffering none, one, two, three or four complications. FTR risk model calibration was excellent, as were model discrimination (c-statistic 0.806) and the Brier score (0.102). Using 95% Bayesian credible intervals, 62 (5.6%) participants performed worse and 53 (4.7%) participants performed better than expected.

CONCLUSIONS

A new risk-adjusted FTR metric has been developed which complements existing STS performance measures. The metric specifically assesses institutional effectiveness of postoperative care, allowing hospitals to target quality improvement efforts.

Evaluating Quality in Adult Cardiac Surgery

National and institutional quality initiatives provide benchmarks for evaluating the effectiveness of medical care. However, the dramatic growth in the number and type of medical and organizational quality-improvement standards creates a challenge to identify and understand those that most accurately determine quality in cardiac surgery. It is important that surgeons have knowledge and insight into valid, useful indicators for comparison and improvement. We therefore reviewed the medical literature and have identified improvement initiatives focused on cardiac surgery. We discuss the benefits and drawbacks of existing methodologies, such as comprehensive regional and national databases that aid self-evaluation and feedback, volume-based standards as structural indicators, process measurements arising from evidence-based research, and risk-adjusted outcomes. In addition, we discuss the potential of newer methods, such as patient-reported outcomes and composite measurements that combine data from multiple sources.

Predictors of hospital mortality after surgery for ischemic mitral regurgitation: the Toronto General Hospital experience

BACKGROUND

The benefit of mitral valve repair (MVr) over replacement in patients with severe ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is still controversial. We report our early postoperative outcomes of repair versus replacement.

METHODS

Data were collected for patients undergoing first-time mitral valve surgery for severe IMR between 1990 and 2009 (n = 393). Patients who underwent combined procedures for papillary muscle rupture, post-infarction ventricular septal defect, endocarditis, or any previous cardiac surgery were excluded. Preoperative demographics, operative variables, and hospital outcomes were analyzed, and multivariable regression analysis was employed to identify independent predictors of hospital mortality.

RESULTS

Valve repair was performed in 42% (n = 164) of patients and replacement in 58% (n = 229). Patients who underwent replacement were older and had a higher prevalence of unstable angina, New York Heart Association Class IV symptoms, preoperative cardiogenic shock, preoperative myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, renal failure, and urgent or emergency surgery (all p < .05). Unadjusted hospital mortality was higher in patients undergoing valve replacement (13% vs. 5%; p = .01). Valve repair was associated with a lower prevalence of postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. Multivariable analysis revealed that age, urgency of operation, and preoperative left ventricular (LV) function were independent predictors of hospital mortality. Importantly, MVr versus replacement was not an independent predictor of hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

Our data did not suggest an early survival benefit to MVr over replacement for IMR. However, age, LV dysfunction, and the need for urgent surgery were independently associated with hospital mortality.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database 2019 Annual Report

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety for cardiothoracic surgery. The STS National Database has 4 components, each focusing on a distinct discipline-Adult Cardiac Surgery, General Thoracic Surgery, Congenital Heart Surgery, and mechanical circulatory support with the STS Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Intermacs)/Pediatric Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Support (Pedimacs) Database. In December 2015, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery began publishing a monthly series of scholarly articles on outcomes analysis, quality improvement, and patient safety. This article provides the fourth annual summary of the status of the STS National Database.