Cerebrovascular Accident Rate

Quality Research Measures

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Surgery Outcomes Report from The Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group.

What is the source for this data?

Founded in 1987, the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group (Study Group) develops and exchanges information among its members about the treatment of cardiovascular disease. It is a regional, voluntary, multi-disciplinary group that seeks to improve the quality, safety, effectiveness, and cost of cardiovascular disease medical interventions.

Members include cardiothoracic surgeons, interventional cardiologists, operating room and cardiac ICU nurses, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, administrators, and scientists associated with eight institutions in northern New England, including:

• Catholic Medical Center, Manchester, NH
• Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston, ME
• Concord Hospital, Concord, NH
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
• Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor, ME
• Fletcher Allen, Burlington, VT
• Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME
• Portsmouth Regional Hospital, Portsmouth, NH

To learn more about the Study Group, please go to: http://www.nnecdsg.org.

Please Note:

These Study Group outcomes are part of an ongoing research study program and include only those patients who were admitted for their first CABG procedure, had no other procedures done during this surgery (such as a heart valve repair), and who had no other invasive treatment for this disease (such as an implanted stent) prior to the CABG procedure.

Based on the last three years, the average annual number of patients studied at the participating institutions was 2,583.

These outcomes include the most recent 500 patients who fit these criteria, through June 2005.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) Mortality Rate

A lower number is better.

What this Means:

This measures the percent of hospitalized CABG patients in the Study Group who died following their procedure.

Why this is important:

A low mortality rate is an indicator of a good patient care process. This measure shows how Fletcher Allen compares with the Study Group result.

Return to Operating Room for Post Operative Bleeding

A lower number is better.

What this Means:

This measures the percent of CABG patients in the Study Group who needed to return to the operating room for open-chest surgery to control bleeding.

Why this is important:

A low rate of return to the operating room is an indicator of a good patient care process. This measure shows how Fletcher Allen compares with the Study Group result.

Use of Mammary Artery

A higher number is better.

What this Means:

This measures the percent of CABG patients in the Study Group whose mammary artery was grafted to bypass the blocked portion of a coronary artery during the procedure.

Why this is important:

A high mammary artery use rate is an indicator of a good patient care process. This measure shows how Fletcher Allen compares with the Study Group result.

Chest Incision Complications

A lower number is better.

What this Means:

This measures the percent of CABG patients in the Study Group who experienced a serious incision infection that resulted in additional surgery being required.

Why this is important:

A low complication rate is an indicator of a good patient care process. This measure shows how Fletcher Allen compares with the Study Group result.

Note 2:

If the region rate falls within the confidence bounds for the center rate, the center and regional rates are not significantly different.