Advancing the Culture of Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.

The American health care system has many great successes, but there continue to be opportunities for improving quality, access, and cost. The fee-for-service health care paradigm is shifting toward value-based care and will require accountability around quality assurance and cost reduction. As a result, many health care entities are rallying health care providers, administrators, regulators, and patients around a national imperative to create a culture of safety and develop systems of care to improve health care quality. However, the culture of patient safety and quality requires rigorous assessment of outcomes, and while numerous data collection and decision support tools are available to assist in quality assessment and performance improvement, the public reporting of this data can be confusing to patients and physicians alike and result in unintended negative consequences. This review explores the aims of health care reform, the national efforts to create a culture of quality and safety, the principles of quality improvement, and how these principles can be applied to patient care and medical practice.

A nationwide survey of UK cardiac surgeons' view on clinical decision making during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

BACKGROUND: No firm recommendations are currently available to guide decision making for patients requiring cardiac surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Systematic appraisal of senior surgeons' consensus can be used to generate interim recommendations until data from clinical observations become available. Hence, we aimed to collect and quantitatively appraise nationwide UK consultants' opinions on clinical decision making for patients requiring cardiac surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We E-mailed a Web-based questionnaire to all consultant cardiac surgeons through the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland mailing list on the April 17, 2020, and we predetermined to close the survey on the April 21, 2020. This survey was primarily designed to gather information on UK surgeons' opinions using 12 items. Strong consensus was predefined as an opinion shared by at least 60% of responding consultants. RESULTS: A total of 86 consultant surgeons undertook the survey. All UK cardiac units were represented by at least 1 consultant. Strong consensus was achieved for the following key questions: (1) before any hospital admission for cardiac surgery, nasopharyngeal swab, polymerase chain reaction, and computed tomography of the chest should be performed; (2) the use of full personal protective equipment should to be adopted in every case by the theater team regardless of the patient's COVID-19 status; (3) the risk of COVID-19 exposure for patients undergoing heart surgery should be considered moderate to high and likely to increase mortality if it occurs; and (4) cardiac procedures should be decided based on a rapidly convened multidisciplinary team discussion for every patient. The majority believed that both aortic and mitral surgery should be considered in selected cases. The role of coronary artery bypass graft surgery during the pandemic was controversial. CONCLUSIONS: In this unprecedented pandemic period, this survey provides information for generating interim recommendations until data from clinical observations become available.

Ramping Up the Delivery of Cardiac Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guidance Statement From the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a profound global effect. Its rapid transmissibility has forced whole countries to adopt strict measures to contain its spread. As part of necessary pandemic planning, most Canadian cardiac surgical programs have prioritized and delayed elective procedures in an effort to reduce the burden on the health care system and to mobilize resources in the event of a pandemic surge. While the number of COVID-19 cases continue to increase worldwide, new cases have begun to decline in many jurisdictions. This "flattening of the curve" has inevitably prompted discussions around reopening of the economy, relaxing some public health restrictions, and resuming nonurgent health care delivery. This document provides a template for cardiac surgical programs to begin to ramp-up the delivery of cardiac surgery in a deliberate and graded fashion as the COVID-19 pandemic burden begins to ease that is guided by 3 principles. First, all recommendations from public health authorities regarding COVID-19 containment must continue to be followed to minimize disease spread, ensure patient safety, and protect health care personnel. Second, patients awaiting elective cardiac surgery need to be proactively managed, reprioritizing those with high-risk anatomy or whose clinical status is deteriorating. Finally, case volumes should be steadily increased in a mutually agreed upon fashion and must balance the clinical needs of patients awaiting surgery against the overall requirements of the health care system.

Current Neurologic Assessment and Neuroprotective Strategies in Cardiac Anesthesia: A Survey to the Membership of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists.

BACKGROUND: Neurologic injury and cognitive disorder after cardiac surgery are associated with morbidity and mortality. Variability in the application of neuroprotective strategies likely exists during cardiac surgery. The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists (SCA) conducted a survey among its members on common perioperative neuroprotective strategies: assessment of aortic atheromatous burden, management of intraoperative blood pressure, and use of cerebral oximetry. METHODS: A 15-item survey was developed by 3 members of the SCA Continuous Practice Improvement - Cerebral Protection Working Group. The questionnaire was then circulated among all working group members, adapted, and tested for face validity. On March 26, 2018, the survey was sent to members of the SCA via e-mail using the Research Electronic Data Capture system. Responses were recorded until April 16, 2018. RESULTS: Of the 3645 surveys e-mailed, 526 members responded (14.4%). Most responders worked in academic institutions (58.3%), followed by private practices (38.7%). Epiaortic ultrasound for the assessment of aortic atheromatous burden was most commonly utilized at the surgeon's request (46.5%). Cerebral oximetry was most commonly used in patients with increased perioperative risk of cerebral injury (41.4%). Epiaortic ultrasound (1.9%) and cerebral oximetry (5.2%) were rarely part of a standardized monitoring approach. A majority of respondents (52.0%) reported no standardized management strategies for neuroprotection during cardiac surgery at their institution. A total of 55.3% stated that no standardized institutional guidelines were in place for managing a patient's blood pressure intraoperatively or during cardiopulmonary bypass. When asked about patients at risk for postoperative cerebral injury, 41.3% targeted a blood pressure goal >65 mmHg during cardiopulmonary bypass. The majority of responders (60.4%) who had access to institutional rates of postoperative stroke/cerebral injury had standard neuroprotective strategies in place. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that approximately half of the respondents to this SCA survey do not use standardized guidelines/standard operating procedures for perioperative cerebral protection. The lack of standardized neuroprotective strategies during cardiac surgery may impact postoperative neurologic outcomes. Further investigations are warranted and should assess the association of standardized neuroprotective approaches and postoperative neurological outcomes.

Disparities in Outcomes and Resource Use After Hospitalization for Cardiac Surgery by Neighborhood Income.

BACKGROUND: Significant disparities exist between patients of different races and with different family incomes; less is understood regarding community-level factors on outcomes. METHODS: In this study, we used linked data from the Pediatric Health Information System database and the US Census Bureau to examine associations between median annual household income by zip code and mortality, length of stay, inpatient standardized costs, and costs per day, over and above the effects of race and payer, first for children undergoing cardiac surgery (2005-2015) and then for all pediatric discharges (2012-2015). Median community-level income was examined as continuous and categorical (by quartile) predictors. Hierarchical logistic and censored linear regression models were constructed. To these models, patient and surgical characteristics, year, race, payer, state, urban or rural designation, and center fixed effects were added. RESULTS: We identified 101 013 cardiac surgical (and 857 833 total) hospitalizations from 46 institutions. Children from the lowest-income neighborhoods who were undergoing cardiac surgery had 1.18 times the odds of mortality (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03 to 1.35), 7% longer lengths of stay (CI: 1% to 14%), and 7% higher standardized costs (CI: 1% to 14%) than children from the highest-income neighborhoods. Results for all children were similar, both with and without any major chronic conditions. The effects of neighborhood were only partially explained by differences in race, payer, or the centers at which patients received care. There were no differences in costs per day. CONCLUSIONS: Children from lower-income neighborhoods are at increased risk of mortality and use more resource intensive care than children from higher-income communities, even after accounting for disparities between races, payers, and centers.

Toward standardization of care: The feeding readiness assessment after congenital cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: Feeding practices after neonatal and congenital heart surgery are complicated and variable, which may be associated with prolonged hospitalization length of stay (LOS). Systematic assessment of feeding skills after cardiac surgery may earlier identify those likely to have protracted feeding difficulties, which may promote standardization of care. METHODS: Neonates and infants ≤3 months old admitted for their first cardiac surgery were retrospectively identified during a 1-year period at a single center. A systematic feeding readiness assessment (FRA) was utilized to score infant feeding skills. FRA scores were assigned immediately prior to surgery and 1, 2, and 3 weeks after surgery. FRA scores were analyzed individually and in combination as predictors of gastrostomy tube (GT) placement prior to hospital discharge by logistic regression. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients met inclusion criteria and 69 patients had complete data to be included in the final model. The mean age of admit was five days and 51% were male. Forty-six percent had single ventricle physiology. Twenty-nine (42%) underwent GT placement. The model containing both immediate presurgical and 1-week postoperative FRA scores was of highest utility in predicting discharge with GT (intercept odds = 10.9, P = .0002; sensitivity 69%, specificity 93%, AUC 0.913). The false positive rate was 7.5%. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis, systematic and standardized measurements of feeding readiness employed immediately before and one week after congenital cardiac surgery predicted need for GT placement prior to hospital discharge. The FRA score may be used to risk stratify patients based on likelihood of prolonged feeding difficulties, which may further improve standardization of care.

Revisiting the utility of technical performance scores following tetralogy of Fallot repair.

OBJECTIVE: Although an important quality metric, current technical performance scores may not be generalizable and may omit operative factors that influence outcomes. We examined factors not included in current technical performance scores that may contribute to increased postoperative length of stay, major complications, and cost after primary repair of tetralogy of Fallot. METHODS: This is a retrospective single site study of patients younger than age 2 years with tetralogy of Fallot undergoing complete repair between 2007 and 2015. Medical record data and discharge echocardiograms were reviewed to ascertain component and composite technical performance scores. Primary outcomes included postoperative length of stay, major complications, and total hospital costs. Multivariable logistic and linear regression identified determinants of each outcome. RESULTS: Patient population (n = 115) had a median postoperative length of stay of 8 days (interquartile range, 6-10 days), and a median total cost of $71,147. Major complications occurred in 33 patients (29%) with 1 death. Technical performance scores assigned were optimum in 28 patients (25%), adequate in 59 patients (52%), and inadequate in 26 patients (23%). Neither technical performance score components nor composite scores were associated with increased postoperative length of stay. Optimum or adequate repairs versus inadequate had equal risk of a complication (P = .79), and equivalent mean total cost ($100,000 vs $187,000; P = .25). Longer cardiopulmonary bypass time per 1-minute increase (P < .01) was associated with longer postoperative length of stay and reintervention (P = .02). The need to return to bypass also increased total cost (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Current tetralogy of Fallot technical performance scores were not associated with selected outcomes in our postoperative population. Although returning to bypass and bypass length are not included as components in the current score, these are important factors influencing complications and resource use in our population. Revisions anticipated from a prospective trial should consider including these variables.

Assessment of Image Quality of Repeated Limited Transthoracic Echocardiography After Cardiac Surgery.

OBJECTIVES: The use of limited transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) has been restricted in patients after cardiac surgery due to reported poor image quality. The authors hypothesized that the hemodynamic state could be evaluated in a high proportion of patients at repeated intervals after cardiac surgery. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Tertiary university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: The study comprised 51 patients aged 18 years or older presenting for cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Patients underwent TTE before surgery and at 3 time points after cardiac surgery. Images were assessed offline using an image quality scoring system by 2 expert observers. Hemodynamic state was assessed using the iHeartScan protocol, and the primary endpoint was the proportion of limited TTE studies in which the hemodynamic state was interpretable at each of the 3 postoperative time points. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Hemodynamic state interpretability varied over time and was highest before surgery (90%) and lowest on the first postoperative day (49%) (p<0.01). This variation in interpretability over time was reflected in all 3 transthoracic windows, ranging from 43% to 80% before surgery and from 2% to 35% on the first postoperative day (p<0.01). Image quality scores were highest with the apical window, ranging from 53% to 77% across time points, and lowest with the subcostal window, ranging from 4% to 70% across time points (p< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamic state can be determined with TTE in a high proportion of cardiac surgery patients after extubation and removal of surgical drains.

Validity of Thromboelastometry for Rapid Assessment of Fibrinogen Levels in Heparinized Samples During Cardiac Surgery: A Retrospective, Single-center, Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of fibrinogen assay of rotational thromboelastometry (FIBTEM)-derived estimates of fibrinogen in samples collected during cardiopulmonary bypass in cardiac surgical patients by comparison to Clauss method fibrinogen concentration. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. SETTING: Single university hospital center. PARTICIPANTS: Human participants. INTERVENTIONS: Retrospectively obtained laboratory assays including rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) and Clauss fibrinogen assay. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A retrospective review was performed of anesthesia records at a single university teaching hospital during a 1-year period. From paired samples taken near the end of cardiopulmonary bypass, fibrinogen concentrations (Clauss method) were compared with FIBTEM-derived measures of maximal clot firmness (MCF) and clot amplitude at 10 minutes (A10) using Spearman's rank correlation, linear regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The study included 1,077 patients. Clauss fibrinogen was correlated strongly with FIBTEM amplitudes (r = 0.78 for MCF and A10; p<0.01). The correlation was related inversely to hemoglobin concentration (p<0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.95; the optimal FIBTEM A10 cutoff for diagnosis of a fibrinogen concentration of<1.5 g/L was ≤8 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The FIBTEM was a valid point-of-care method for estimating the fibrinogen concentration during cardiopulmonary bypass and may be used for prediction of hypofibrinogenemia before separation from the extracorporeal circuit.

Implementation of Measures to Improve SCIP Perioperative Beta-Blocker Compliance: Quality and Financial Implications.

INTRODUCTION: The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) was launched in 2005. One of the SCIP metrics includes perioperative beta-blocker guideline (CARD-2), which measures the percentage of patients on a pre-operative beta-blocker with continued use in the perioperative period. Compliance is intended to decrease rates of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cardiac mortality among high-risk patients. We desired to create low cost, standardized processes on an institutional level to improve compliance with the SCIP CARD-2 metric. METHODS: We assessed the impact of interventions on provider compliance with the SCIP CARD-2 metric and on simulated impact on institutional cost. RESULTS: We were able to improve CARD-2 compliance at one hospital within a year of intervention implementation. The hospital decreased its losses due to noncompliance in FY 2014 by $27 273. DISCUSSION: A relatively low cost intervention, aimed at educating providers that utilized existing infrastructure resulted in improved SCIP beta-blocker compliance. Changes in the reimbursement system made at the time of publication demonstrate that reimbursement measures are constantly in flux; tailored interventions based upon our successes may still produce similar results.