Christiana Care open-heart surgery program receives highest ranking

Christiana Care open-heart surgery program receives highest ranking

Timothy Gardner, M.D.
Timothy Gardner, M.D.

Christiana Care’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health has been awarded the highest national ranking—three stars—from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for 2009.

The STS comprehensive rating system compares the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. Only 11.7 percent of hospitals nationwide received this year’s STS three-star rating, which is the highest category of quality of cardiac surgery. Christiana Care is one of 1,007 participants in the STS cardiac surgery database.

“Our patients and community deserve the best, and STS’s highest national ranking clearly places Christiana Care’s Center for Heart & Vascular Health among the top programs in the nation,” said Timothy Gardner, M.D., medical director of the Center for Heart & Vascular Health and past president of the American Heart Association. “The three-star rating from STS is widely regarded by clinicians as the gold standard by which to evaluate cardiac surgery programs.”

STS developed this comprehensive rating system to allow for nationwide comparisons regarding the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals. The system analyzes many different national cardiac surgical data categories on a yearly basis to determine which hospitals meet its stringent qualifications for the three-star rating. Christiana Care’s rating is for the period January 2009-December 2009.

This data includes avoidance of mortality, avoidance of major complications, use of arteries as bypass grafts and assuring that all patients receive appropriate (evidence-based) medications pre- and post-operatively.

“Achieving the best outcomes for cardiac surgery patients requires real coordination among team members so that patients can move seamlessly through the care process,” said Michael Banbury, M.D., FACS, the W. Samuel Carpenter III distinguished chair of cardiovascular surgery at Christiana Care. “It is evident by this great award that everyone here is on the same page, focused on clinical quality and outcomes.”

A non-profit organization, the STS represents nearly 6,000 surgeons, researchers and allied health professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible heart, lung, esophageal and other surgical procedures for the chest. Founded in 1964, the mission of STS is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research and advocacy.

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