It is time to reconsider the management of Aortic valve Disease (AVD) across the world. In South Asian and Sub-Saharan African nations, in low-income countries, AVD is treated with surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Patients receive mechanical valves. The population is younger than in high-income countries and the disease is different, mostly of rheumatic origin.
CHICAGO, IL – October 17, 2024 – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) announces the release of two new risk calculators to inform physician-patient decision-making in thoracic surgery. Engineered using contemporary data from the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, these interactive tools provide surgeons with accurate, preoperative risk estimations for outcomes of esophagectomy for cancer and pulmonary resection for lung cancer.
Earlier this month, more than 470 data managers attended the 2024 Advances in Quality & Outcomes: A Data Manager’s Meeting (AQO) in Nashville, both virtually and in person. Throughout the successful three-day event, surgical team data managers deepened their understanding of the STS National Database. They learned about new features, functionality, quality improvement initiatives, and research outcomes from surgeon leaders, Database platform experts, and fellow data managers. This expanded knowledge will help them be integral to their heart team as they lead their centers to improve clinical outcomes and patient safety using the STS National Database.
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Attendees included (l to r): Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD; John E. Mayer Jr., MD; Timothe L’Heureux, MHA; Susana C. Reid, BSN, RN, CPN; Amanda McGlinchey, MHA, RN, CCRN; and Erin Hunter-McPhan, BSN, RN.
The event showcased the Database's unique analytical power in supporting ongoing outcomes analysis and continuous improvement efforts for each institution. Experts led in-depth discussions and presented four learning tracks to help users master each Database registry: Adult Cardiac, Congenital Heart, General Thoracic, and Intermacs/Pedimacs.
Here’s what a few attendees had to say:
“Thank you for the opportunity to speak at AQO this year. It was very well organized, and I felt I had excellent communication throughout the process. I know A LOT of work goes into coordinating events like this, so thank you for your efforts. It was really nice to get to talk with other users and share tips and tricks!” – Marie Wilson, MSHQS, MSN, RN, quality coordinator at University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital
“The conference last week was great! I really enjoyed the presentations, Q&A, and meeting other data managers. Keep up the great work!”– Clera Sugarbaker, performance improvement analyst/abstractor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
“Thank you for a great conference. I am proud to be a part of the STS Intermacs community. We truly do great things!! Looking forward to what is to come.” – Elizabeth Spreen, RN, clinical quality analyst at Baton Rouge General Medical Center
ProHealth Heart and Vascular Care in Waukesha, Wis., embarked on a multidisciplinary initiative to reduce ventilation times for isolated Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting patients at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. The goals: Reduce the risk of patient harm associated with mechanical ventilation and achieve significant improvements in teamwork and safety culture.
In the realm of cardiovascular care, ensuring adherence to quality metrics is paramount for achieving better patient outcomes. But having a lot of data is not enough. Every healthcare professional who plays a role on an integrated patient care team needs to be aware of the data available to them, understand what it means, and act on that understanding. And that’s a challenge that exists across the health system.
CHICAGO (April 26, 2024) ─ The expanding use of transcatheter technologies has changed the landscape in the treatment of valvular disease in adult cardiac patients, with valve surgery rapidly shifting to more complex interventions frequently involving other concomitant procedures.
