Quality Reports - Herma Heart Center

Surgical survival - Overall

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Why we measure it - Overwhelmingly, survival is the first and most important statistic parents and others ask about. We measure early survival as 30 days after the operation and until the patient is discharged from the hospital.

What this means - Herma Heart Center at Children's Hospital has a consistently high early survival rate for all children undergoing heart surgery and a significantly higher survival rate than the Society of Thoracic Surgeons comparitive population.

About the data - This data reflects survival rates for patients with congenital heart surgery. This data is publicly reported to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for benchmarking purposes.

Related dimensions of care:

What we're doing to provide the best care:

• Timely clinical research impacts real time care for our patients. Novel modifications in preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative patient management play a key role in continuing to improve our outcomes. Some examples of our clinical research focused on postoperative care are:

  • Goal-directed postoperative management techniques ensure patients are recovering appropriately.
  • Reviewing and ensuring access to care across economic lines.
  • Routinely reviewing cardiac cases and looking at opportunity to improve care.
• We closely monitor any change we make to see if it affects outcomes positively or negatively, including changes in:
  • Operative technique.
  • Timing of surgery.
  • Postoperative care.
  • Communications among the health care team.
• We continue to improve heart/lung bypass techniques in the operating room.

Patients/Families - If your child is being treated for a heart defect:

• Make sure your child has a dental check-up before surgery and is free of mouth sores and infections.
• Talk with your doctor about the timing of immunizations related to surgery.
• Prepare your child mentally for the surgery and hospitalization. Ask for a Child Life Specialist and take a tour of the hospital.
• Be an advocate for your child. Participate in daily bedside clinical discussions, provide any information about your child that may be helpful to staff.
• Follow medical instructions fully and carefully before and after surgery.
• Ask questions if you don't understand the plan of care or if you are not sure how to care for your child at home.
• Attend any and all follow-up appointments.
• Protect your child from environmental risks such as second-hand smoke and other ill children.

If you have questions about this data or information, e-mail us or call (414) 266-6726.