Early Extubation Without Increased Adverse Events in High-Risk Cardiac Surgical Patients

Early extubation after pediatric cardiac surgery

Early extubation after pediatric cardiac surgery has come full circle from being practiced in the early days of pediatric cardiac surgery, falling out of favor with opioid-heavy cardiostable anesthesia, and resurfacing again in more recent times as part of enhanced recovery after surgery practice. Early extubation is variably defined, but is mostly accepted as extubation that occurs within 6-8 h from the end of surgery. In recent years, the debate has shifted from early extubation in the intensive care unit to immediate extubation in the operating theatre. In this review, we examined the benefits and pitfalls of early and immediate extubation, factors that influence the success of early extubation, and potential guidelines for practice and implementation.

Operating Room Extubation for Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A National Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database Analysis

BACKGROUND

The utility of operating room extubation (ORE) after cardiac surgery over fast-track extubation (FTE) within 6 hours remains contested. We hypothesized ORE would be associated with equivalent rates of morbidity and mortality, relative to FTE.

METHODS

Patients undergoing nonemergent cardiac surgery were identified in The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database between July 2017 and December 2022. Only procedures with The Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk models were included. Risk-adjusted outcomes of ORE and FTE were compared by observed-to-expected ratios with 95% CIs aggregated over all procedure types, and ORE vs FTE adjusted odds ratios (ORs) specific to each procedure type using multivariable logistic regression. Analyzed outcomes were operative mortality, prolonged length of stay, composite reoperation for bleeding and reintubation, and composite morbidity and mortality.

RESULTS

The study population of 669,099 patients across 1069 hospitals included 36,298 ORE patients in 296 hospitals. Risk-adjusted analyses found that ORE was associated with statistically similar or better results across each of the 4 outcomes and procedure subtypes. Notably, rates of postoperative mortality were significantly lower in ORE patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (OR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.46-0.65), aortic valve replacement (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24-0.77), and mitral valve replacement (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26-0.89).

CONCLUSIONS

Extubation in the OR was safe and effective in a selected patient population and may be associated with superior outcomes in coronary artery bypass, aortic valve replacement, and mitral valve replacement. These national data appear to confirm institutional experiences regarding the potential benefit of OR extubation. Further refinement of optimal populations may justify randomized investigation.

Early extubation after elective surgical aortic valve replacement during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) is an established therapy for severe calcific aortic stenosis. Enhanced recovery after cardiac surgery (ERACS) protocols have been shown to improve outcomes for elective cardiac procedures. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted early extubation post-elective surgeries to preserve critical care resources.

AIM OF THIS STUDY

To investigate the effects of extubating patients within 6 h post-elective SAVR on hospital and ICU length of stay, mortality rates, ICU readmissions, and postoperative pneumonia.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

The retrospective analysis at the University Hospital Aachen, Germany, includes data from 2017 to 2022 and compares a total of 73 elective SAVR patients. Among these, 23 patients were extubated within 6 h (EXT group), while 50 patients remained intubated for over 6 h (INT group).

RESULTS

The INT group experienced longer postoperative ventilation, needed more vasopressor support, had a higher incidence of postoperative pneumonia, and longer ICU length of stay. No significant differences were noted in overall hospital length of stay, mortality, or ICU readmission rates between the groups.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that early extubation in high-risk, multimorbid surgical aortic valve replacement patients is safe, and is associated with a reduction of pneumonia rates, and with shorter ICU and hospital length of stays, reinforcing the benefits of ERACS protocols, especially critical during the COVID-19 pandemic to optimize intensive care use.

Perioperative Care in Cardiac Surgery: A Joint Consensus Statement by the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Cardiac Society, ERAS International Society, and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) programs have been shown to lessen surgical insult, promote recovery, and improve postoperative clinical outcomes across a number of specialty operations. A core tenet of ERAS involves the provision of protocolized evidence-based perioperative interventions. Given both the growing enthusiasm for applying ERAS principles to cardiac surgery and the broad scope of relevant interventions, an international, multidisciplinary expert panel was assembled to derive a list of potential program elements, review the literature, and provide a statement regarding clinical practice for each topic area. This article summarizes those consensus statements and their accompanying evidence. These results provide the foundation for best practice for the management of the adult patient undergoing cardiac surgery.

The Association of the Pulmonary Artery Pulsatility Index and Right Ventricular Function after Cardiac Surgery

Background

The pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) has been shown to correlate with right ventricular (RV) failure in patients with cardiac disease. However, the association of PAPi with right ventricular function following cardiac surgery is not yet established.

Methods

PAPi and other hemodynamic variables were obtained postoperatively for 959 adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The association of post-bypass right ventricular function and other clinical factors to PAPi was evaluated using linear regression. A propensity-score matched cohort for PAPi ≥ 2.00 was used to assess the association of PAPi with postoperative outcomes.

Results

156 patients (16.3%) had post-bypass right ventricular dysfunction defined by visualization on transesophageal echocardiography. There was no difference in postoperative PAPi based on right ventricular function (2.12 vs. 2.00, p=0.21). In our matched cohort (n = 636), PAPi < 2.00 was associated with increased incidence of acute kidney injury (23.0% vs 13.2%, p < 0.01) and ventilator time (6.0 hours vs 5.6 hours, p=0.04) but not with 30-day mortality or intensive care unit length of stay.

Conclusion

In a general cohort of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, postoperative PAPi was not associated with postcardiopulmonary bypass right ventricular dysfunction. A postoperative PAPi < 2 may be associated with acute kidney injury.

Development and Validation of Scores to Predict Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation after Cardiac Surgery

OBJECTIVES

To optimize the early prediction of prolonged postoperative mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery (>24 hours postoperatively).

DESIGN

The authors performed a retrospective analysis.

SETTING

The Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) database was utilized.

PARTICIPANTS

All patients included in the ANZSCTS database between January 2015 and December 2018 were analyzed.

INTERVENTIONS

No interventions were performed in this observational study.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

A previously developed model was modified to allow retrospective risk calculation and model assessment (Modified Hessels score). The database was split into development and validation sets. A new risk model was developed using forward and backward stepwise elimination (ANZ-PreVent score). The authors assessed 48,382 patients, of whom 5004 (10.3%) were ventilated mechanically for >24 hours post-operatively. The Modified Hessels score demonstrated good performance in this database, with a c-index of 0.78 (95% CI 0.77-0.78) and a Brier score of 0.08. The newly developed ANZ-PreVent score demonstrated better performance (validation cohort, n = 12,229), with a c-index of 0.84 (95% CI 0.83-0.85) (p < 0.0001) and a Brier score of 0.07. Both scores performed better than the severity of illness scores commonly used to predict outcomes in intensive care.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors validated a modified version of an existing prediction score and developed the ANZ-PreVent score, with improved performance for identifying patients at risk of ventilation for >24 hours. The improved score can be used to identify high-risk patients for targeted interventions in future randomized controlled trials.

Postoperative Pulmonary Artery Pulsatility Index Improves Prediction of Right Ventricular Failure After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated whether the postoperative pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) is associated with postoperative right ventricular dysfunction after durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation.

DESIGN

Single-center retrospective observational cohort study.

SETTING

The University of Kansas Medical Center, a tertiary-care academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS

Sixty-seven adult patients who underwent durable LVAD implantation between 2017 and 2019.

INTERVENTIONS

All patients underwent open cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass under general anesthesia with pulmonary artery catheter insertion.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Clinical and hemodynamic data were collected before and after surgery. The Michigan right ventricular failure risk score and the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support score were calculated for each patient. The primary outcome was right ventricular failure, defined as a composite of right ventricular mechanical circulatory support, inhaled pulmonary vasodilator therapy for 48 hours or greater, or inotrope use for 14 days or greater or at discharge. Thirty percent of this cohort (n = 20) met the primary outcome. Preoperative transpulmonary gradient (odds ratio [OR] 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.28), cardiac index (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.71-0.98), and postoperative PAPi (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.97) were the only hemodynamic variables associated with the primary outcome. The addition of postoperative PAPi was associated with improvement in the predictive model performance of the Michigan score (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.73 v 0.56, p = 0.03). An optimal cutoff point for postoperative PAPi of 1.56 was found.

CONCLUSIONS

The inclusion of postoperative PAPi offers more robust predictive power for right ventricular failure in patients undergoing durable LVAD implantation, compared with the use of existing risk scores alone.

Perioperative Management of the Patient at High-Risk for Cardiac Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common major complications of cardiac surgery, and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Cardiac surgery-associated AKI has a complex, multifactorial etiology, including numerous factors such as primary cardiac dysfunction, hemodynamic derangements of cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass, and the possibility of a large volume of blood transfusion. There are no truly effective pharmacologic therapies for the management of AKI, and, therefore, anesthesiologists, intensivists, and cardiac surgeons must remain vigilant and attempt to minimize the risk of developing renal dysfunction. This narrative review describes the current state of the scientific literature concerning the specific aspects of cardiac surgery-associated AKI, and presents it in a chronological fashion to aid the perioperative clinician in their approach to this high-risk patient group. The evidence was considered for risk prediction models, preoperative optimization, and the intraoperative and postoperative management of cardiac surgery patients to improve renal outcomes.

Comparing the associations of central venous pressure and pulmonary artery pulsatility index with postoperative renal injury

Objective

Cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We investigated the association of postoperative central venous pressure (CVP) and pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) with the development of CS-AKI.

Methods

This was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. CVP and PAPi were acquired hourly postoperatively and averaged for up to 48 h. PAPi was calculated as [(Pulmonary Artery Systolic Pressure–Pulmonary Artery Diastolic Pressure) / CVP]. The primary aim was CS-AKI. Secondary aims were need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), hospital and 30-day mortality, total ventilator and intensive care unit hours, and hospital length of stay. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds of development of renal injury and need for RRT.

Results

One thousand two hundred eighty-eight patients were included. The average postoperative CVP was 10.3 mmHg and average postoperative PAPi was 2.01. Patients who developed CS-AKI (n = 384) had lower PAPi (1.79 vs. 2.11, p < 0.01) and higher CVP (11.5 vs. 9.7 mmHg, p < 0.01) than those who did not. Lower PAPi and higher CVP were also associated with each secondary aim. A standardized unit decrease in PAPi was associated with increased odds of CS-AKI (OR 1.39, p < 0.01) while each unit increase in CVP was associated with both increased odds of CS-AKI (OR 1.56, p < 0.01) and postoperative RRT (OR 1.49, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

Both lower PAPi and higher CVP values postoperatively were associated with the development of CS-AKI but only higher CVP was associated with postoperative RRT use. When differences in values are standardized, CVP may be more associated with development of CS-AKI when compared to PAPi.

Prolonged mechanical ventilation after cardiac surgery: substudy of the Transfusion Requirements in Cardiac Surgery III trial

PURPOSE

Prolonged mechanical ventilation (MV) is a major complication following cardiac surgery. We conducted a secondary analysis of the Transfusion Requirements in Cardiac Surgery (TRICTS) III trial to describe MV duration, identify factors associated with prolonged MV, and examine associations of prolonged MV with mortality and complications.

METHODS

Four thousand, eight hundred and nine participants undergoing cardiac surgery at 71 hospitals worldwide were included. Prolonged MV was defined based on the Society of Thoracic Surgeons definition as MV lasting 24 hr or longer. Adjusted associations of patient and surgical factors with prolonged MV were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Associations of prolonged MV with complications were assessed using odds ratios, and adjusted associations between prolonged MV and mortality were evaluated using multinomial regression. Associations of shorter durations of MV with survival and complications were explored.

RESULTS

Prolonged MV occurred in 15% (725/4,809) of participants. Prolonged MV was associated with surgical factors indicative of complexity, such as previous cardiac surgery, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, and separation attempts; and patient factors such as critical preoperative state, left ventricular impairment, renal failure, and pulmonary hypertension. Prolonged MV was associated with perioperative but not long-term complications. After risk adjustment, prolonged MV was associated with perioperative mortality; its association with long-term mortality among survivors was weaker. Shorter durations of MV were not associated with increased risk of mortality or complications.

CONCLUSION

In this substudy of the TRICS III trial, prolonged MV was common after cardiac surgery and was associated with patient and surgical risk factors. Although prolonged MV showed strong associations with perioperative complications and mortality, it was not associated with long-term complications and had weaker association with long-term mortality among survivors.

STUDY REGISTRATION

www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov (NCT02042898); registered 23 January 2014. This is a substudy of the Transfusion Requirements in Cardiac Surgery (TRICS) III trial.

Fast-Track Failure After Cardiac Surgery: Risk Factors and Outcome With Long-Term Follow-Up

OBJECTIVES

An important cornerstone of the Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery initiative is a fast-track cardiac anesthesia management protocol. Fast-track failure has been described to have a detrimental impact on immediate postoperative outcomes. The authors here evaluated risk factors for short- and long-term effects of fast-track failure.

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

A single academic center.

PARTICIPANTS

Adult cardiac surgery was performed on 7,064 patients between January 2013 and October 2019.

INTERVENTION

The inclusion criteria for the fast-track program at the postanesthesia care unit were met by 1,097 patients.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors. Fast-track failure occurred in 69 (6.3%) patients. These were associated with significant increases in the incidences of coronary revascularization, cardiac tamponade or bleeding requiring surgical intervention, new-onset atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, delirium, and sepsis. Likewise, the postoperative length of stay, and up to 5-year mortality, were significantly higher in the fast-track failure than the nonfailure group. The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II and transfusion of any blood product could be identified as independent risk factors for fast-track failure, with only limited discriminative ability (area under the curve = 0.676; 95% confidence interval, 0.611-0.741).

CONCLUSION

Fast-track failure is associated with increases in morbidity and long-term mortality, but remains difficult to predict.

ICU Nurses-An Impact Factor on Patient Turnover in Cardiac Surgery in Western Denmark?

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to describe changes in performance indicators such as length of stay [LOS] in the intensive care unit [ICU] and ventilation time, during the last six years in an attempt to identify associations between patient and systemic performance indicators, including the impact of nurse turnover.

DESIGN

A retrospective study of prospectively registered data (2013-2018). Propensity- score matching was performed to establish comparable groups.

SETTING

Three Danish university hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

The study included a total of 12,404 adult cardiac surgical patients registered in the Western Denmark Heart Registry. The cohort was divided into an "early" group (2013-2016) and a "late" group (2017-2018).

INTERVENTIONS

An analysis of dynamics in patient indicators and systemic performance indicators, including the impact from selected performance parameters and nurse turnover.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Comorbidity, calculated from the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation, and the mean age were stable in the study period. Strong predictors of long LOS in the ICU included postoperative use of inotropes, re-exploration surgery, high postoperative drainage, and the "late" time group. Time parameters (relative risks) were all significantly longer in the "late" time group": ventilation time 1.21 (1.05-1.39), length of stay ICU 1.28 (1.11-1.48), and in-hospital time 1.36 (1.19-1.57). ICU nurse turnover increased from four (2013-2014) to 52 (2017-2018).

CONCLUSION

No single patient factor, such as age or comorbidity, could explain the decrease in patient turnover in the ICU. In the same period, the turnover of ICU nurses increased. Patient turnover is complex and affected by a mix of patient and systemic performance factors.

Impact of Early, Low-Dose Factor VIIa on Subsequent Transfusions and Length of Stay in Cardiac Surgery

OBJECTIVE

Recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) is used to treat cardiac surgical bleeding in an off-label manner. However, optimal dosing and timing of administration to provide efficacious yet safe outcomes remain unknown.

DESIGN

Retrospective, observational study.

SETTING

Tertiary care academic center.

PARTICIPANTS

Cardiac surgical patients (N = 214) who received low-dose rFVIIa for cardiac surgical bleeding.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were allocated into one of three groups based on timing of rFVIIa administration during the course of bleeding resuscitation based on the number of hemostatic products given before rFVIIa administration: group one = ≤one products (n = 82); group two = two-to-four products (n = 73); and group three= ≥five products (n = 59).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Patients who received low-dose rFVIIa later in the course of bleeding resuscitation (group three) had longer intensive care unit stays (p = 0.014) and increased incidence of postoperative renal failure when compared with group one (p = 0.039). Total transfusions were lowest in patients who received rFVIIa early in the course of resuscitation (group one) (median, two [interquartile range (IQR), 1-4.75]) and highest in group three (median, 11 [IQR, 8-14]; p < 0.001). Subsequent blood product transfusions after rFVIIa administration were highest in group two (p = 0.003); however, the median for all three groups was two products. There were no differences in thrombosis, reexplorations, or mortality in any of the groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified no differences in adverse outcomes based on timing of administration of low-dose rFVIIa for cardiac surgical bleeding defined by stage of resuscitation, but the benefits of early administration remain unclear.

Impact of Postoperative Infections on Readmission and Resource Use in Elective Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND

Efforts to reduce postoperative infections have garnered national attention, leading to practice guidelines for cardiac surgical perioperative care. The present study characterized the impact of healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) on index hospitalization costs and post-discharge healthcare utilization.

METHODS

Adults undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or valve operations were identified in the 2016-2018 Nationwide Readmissions Database. Infections were categorized into bloodstream, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, surgical site, or urinary tract infections. Generalized linear or flexible hazard models were used to assess associations between infections and outcomes. Observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios were generated to examine inter-hospital variation in HAI.

RESULTS

Of an estimated 444,165 patients, 8.0% developed HAI. Patients with HAI were older, had a greater burden of chronic diseases, and more commonly underwent CABG/valve or multi-valve operations (all p<0.001). HAI was independently associated with mortality (odds ratio 4.02, 95% CI 3.67-4.40), non-home discharge (3.48, 95% CI 3.21-3.78), and a cost increase of $23,000 (95% CI 20,900-25,200). At 90 days, HAI was associated with greater hazard of readmission (1.29, 95% CI 1.24-1.35). Pulmonary infections had the greatest incremental impact on patient-level ($24,500, 95% CI 23,100-26,00) and annual cohort costs ($121.8 million, 95% CI 102.2-142.9 million). Significant hospital level variation in HAI was evident, with O/E ranging from 0.17 to 4.3 for cases performed in 2018.

CONCLUSIONS

Infections following cardiac surgery remain common and are associated with inferior outcomes and increased resource use. The presence of inter-hospital variation in this contemporary cohort emphasizes the ongoing need for systematic approaches in their prevention and management.

Associations of Preoperative Self-rated Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression on Length of Hospital Stay and Long-term Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND

Anxiety and depression are often associated with cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, few study authors have investigated psychological effects on immediate and long-term cardiac surgery-related outcomes, such as surgical complications, length of hospital stay (LOS), and long-term health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to (a) investigate the role of preoperative symptoms of anxiety and depression in predicting LOS in a sample of surgical patients and (b) evaluate the impact of preoperative symptoms of anxiety and depression on the patients' HRQoL 3 months after surgery.

METHODS

One hundred fifty-one patients waiting for surgery were included. To evaluate symptoms of anxiety and depression, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of both clinical and psychological factors on LOS, whereas quantile regression was performed to assess their effect on the patients' HRQoL 3 months after surgery.

RESULTS

The multiple regression shows that EuroSCORE, length of endotracheal intubation, and anxiety symptoms predict LOS. The multiple quantile regression analyses also show that both symptoms of anxiety and depression predict a negative HRQoL up to 3 months after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative symptoms of anxiety predict the patients' LOS, and both symptoms of anxiety and depression predict a scarce HRQoL 3 months after cardiac surgery. These results suggest the need for implementing presurgical in-hospital screening procedures for both symptoms of anxiety and depression. Finally, focused psychological interventions should be implemented for reducing inpatients' hospital LOS and improving their future quality of life.

Factors Associated With Early Extubation After Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective Single-Center Experience

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors associated with early extubation in cardiac surgery patients.

DESIGN

Single center, retrospective.

SETTING

Tertiary university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

The study comprised 8,872 adult patients who underwent cardiothoracic surgery from 2011-2019.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Of the 8,872 patients, 2,950 (33%) were extubated within six hours after surgery. Early extubated patients were younger, had a higher body mass index (BMI), were more likely to be male, and were fast-track designated. These patients more frequently underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft, isolated valve, or adult congenital surgeries than did late extubated patients. Early extubated patients had a greater incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and anxiety and a higher left ventricular ejection fraction. They also were less likely to have difficult intubation or require mechanical circulatory support, reintubation, or readmission. Analysis of the 8,872 patients showed that male sex (odds ratio [OR] 1.222, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.096-1.363), a BMI >30 kg/m² (OR 1.702, 95% CI 1.475-1.965), undergoing isolated valve surgery (OR 1.187, 95% CI 1.060-1.328), and having a fast-track designation (OR 1.455, 95% CI 1.208-1.751) and CAD (OR 1.122, 95% CI 1.005-1.253) were associated with early extubation. Data on intensive care unit (ICU) admission after surgery were available only from 2014-2018. Within this subgroup of 5,977 patients, variables associated with early extubation included male sex (OR 1.356, 95% CI 1.193-1.541), BMI >30 kg/m² (OR 1.267, 95% CI 1.084-1.480), daytime admission to the ICU (OR 1.712, 95% CI 1.527-1.919), and fast-track designation (OR 1.423, 95% CI 1.123-1.802).

CONCLUSIONS

Male sex; a BMI >30 kg/m²; undergoing isolated valve surgery; and having a fast-track designation, CAD, and daytime admission to the ICU are associated with early extubation.

The Major Decrease in Resource Utilization in Recent Decades Seems Guided by Demographic Changes: Fast Tracking-Real Concept or Demographics

OBJECTIVE

To identify dynamics of associations and potential areas for optimization of patient turnover between various patient profile and comorbidity indicators and selected system performance indicators such as ventilation time, length of stay in the intensive care unit, and in-hospital stay.

DESIGN

Retrospective study of prospectively registered data (2000-2017).

SETTING

Three university hospitals.

PARTICIPANTS

The study comprised 38,100 adult cardiac surgical patients registered in the Western Denmark Heart Registry.

INTERVENTIONS

Analysis of dynamics in patient indicators and system performance indicators, including effect on the selected performance parameters.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Comorbidity, calculated from EuroSCORE, decreased from 2.5 ± 2.2 to 1.5 ± 2.0 (p < 0.001), whereas the average age of patients increased from 65.1 ± 9.9 years to 67.6 ± 10.8 years (p < 0.001). Median ventilation time decreased from 380 to 275 minutes (p < 0.0001). The mean length of stay in the intensive care unit demonstrated a statistically significant decrease from 35.1 hours between 2000 to 2002 to 31.8 hours between 2015 to 2017 (p = 0.004), and the median time was unchanged at 22.0 hours throughout the observation period. The median in-hospital stay decreased from 6.5 to 5.1 days (p < 0.001) and the mean in-hospital stay from 8.7 days (2003-2005) to 7.0 days (2015-2017; p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis of performance factors showed a statistically significant negative independent effect on most comorbidity and surgical factors.

CONCLUSION

The increase in performance parameters appears to be highly associated with decreased comorbidities and fast-tracking protocols and may only offer limited effect in additional patient turnover.