Quality and Outcomes Reports - Anesthesiology
Patient Safety
Why we measure it -
Overwhelmingly, survival is the first and most important statistic parents and others ask about. Using the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status score, we measure survival by patient complexity from the time anesthesia starts to when it stops, and at 48 hours after a procedure or anesthesia.
|
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 | |
| Number of ASA 1 and 2 cases ASA 1 = Healthy, ASA 2 = Mild Systemic Disease |
16,934 |
17,062 |
16,248 |
16,265 |
|
% Survival at 48 Hours for ASA 1 |
100% |
100% |
100% |
100% |
| Number of ASA 3 cases ASA 3 = Severe Systemic |
6,730 |
6,796 |
6,890 |
6,965 |
| % Survival at 48 hours for ASA 3 |
99.97% |
99.93% |
100% |
100% |
| Number of ASA 4 and 5 cases ASA 4 = Severe Systemic Life Threat, ASA 5 = Moribund |
1,243 |
1,175 |
1,059 |
1,116 |
| % survival at 48 hours for ASA 4 and 5 |
98.63% |
98.47% |
98.49% |
98.74% |
| Total % survival at 48 hours |
99.92% |
99.90% |
99.93% |
99.94% |
What this means - The higher the ASA physical status score, the less the patient is able to tolerate stress, including illness or surgery, and the more complex the case for the operating room team. We have a 100 percent survival rate for otherwise healthy patients (ASA 1 and 2) for the time period reviewed. It is expected that as the severity of the anesthesia case increases we would see a decline in survival. The perioperative mortality rate for pediatric anesthesia in highly developed countries should be less than 20/10,000. The rate is considerably better - about half as high - at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. While all procedures and anesthesia have some risk, we continuously evaluate our professional performance, equipment and systems to ensure safety.
About the data - These data reflect the number of cases with anesthesiology care, not the total number of procedures. One patient may have several procedures during one anesthesia case. The survival is calculated at 48 hours post surgery for the different categories.
Related dimensions of care:
What we're doing to provide the best care:
- Pediatric anesthesiologists assess all patients before surgery using a scoring system called the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status score. This comprehensive risk assessment system helps predict the risk of complications and helps us match patients with the right resources. Patients who have a higher risk are more likely to require more complex and time-consuming resources such as postoperative hospitalization, treatment in the intensive care unit and prolonged monitoring.
- Same-day surgery patients who are otherwise health usually receive care at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin Surgicenter with added comfort and convenience. Highly complex patients are cared for at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee campus where more resources are immediately available.
- All of our anesthesiologists are board certified in anesthesiology and have completed at least one additional year of pediatric anesthesiology training or experience. Many staff also have subspecialty training in pediatric critical care, complex medical care and pain management.
- We have 4 to 5 anesthesiologists on call each night to care for emergent and urgent cases including cardiac services. We have expert teams on call 24 hours a day to provide coverage for general perioperative anesthesia, cardiac anesthesia, services out of the operating room, critical care, pain management and trauma/code response team.
- We are recognized internationally for many innovations in perioperative monitoring including noninvasive oximetric hemodynamic monitoring that permits continuous assessment of oxygen delivery to vital organs and enhances patient safety.
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, certified by the American College of Surgeons. This certification means we are able to provide the best possible care to the most critically injured children. It also recognizes that we are involved in injury prevention, research and education.
- Families traveling from long distances are encouraged to use our Family Accommodations Program to make travel arrangements and coordinate appointments. Children's Hospital has partnered with non-profit organizations like Ronald McDonald House and Kathy's House to offer comfortable, "home away from home" accommodations. Local hotel chains on our referral list also offer discounts for patient families.
Patients and families:
- Take a virtual tour, which will help prepare patients and families for the procedure and hospital stay.
- Follow all eating and drinking restrictions before surgery.
Referring physicians:
- Referring physicians can access our specialists for consultation or transport 24 hours a day. Call our physician referral line at (800) 266-0366.
- Health care providers from outside of our southeastern Wisconsin service area are encouraged to use our web-based
e-Consult service. This service is available for non-urgent patient cases only and gives providers access to our specialists to review patient cases, obtain medical advice or second opinions, and receive care recommendations for rare symptoms and illnesses.
e-Consult is not to be used by the general public, parents/guardians or families. - Care guidelines for medical professionals
- Educational materials
- Pocket Directory
If you have questions about these data or information, email us or call (414) 266-6556.