The importance of an organized follow-up for the evaluation of mortality after hospital discharge in cardiac surgery
Luc Noyez 1*,
Freek W.A. Verheugt 1,
Henry A. van Swieten 1
1 Nijmegen University Hospital St. Radboud, The Netherlands
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: l.noyez{at}thorax.umcn.nl.
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Abstract |
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Objective: Does a structured follow-up, after cardiac surgery in an adult, provide additional information on the operation related mortality certainly if mortality is used as an outcome parameter within the quality control? Method: Mortality data of 1132 patients undergoing cardiac surgery in 2003 and 2004 in the Academic Hospital Nijmegen, the Netherlands were registered by a structured follow-up one year after surgery. Results: One year after surgery this follow-up is missing information of 8 patients (0.7%). Six patients (0.5%) refused further follow-up. Of the 31 patients who died during the first postoperative year 21 (68%) were registered thanks to this structured follow-up. In 29 patients it was possible to retrieve the cause of death. Conclusion: A structured follow-up one year after cardiac surgery has a high response and not only provides a better total picture of mortality, but also information on the cause of death. Both aspects are important if mortality is used as a parameter for quality control in cardiac surgery. Keywords: Mortality; Cardiac surgery; Follow-up; Quality control
