Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Outcomes
Developed in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, the congenital heart surgical program at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital regularly achieves leading results in positive surgical outcomes, high patient volume and reduced post-surgery lengths of stay, providing patients and their families with quicker recovery times and more timely returns to their normal lives. We are proud of our nearly 98% survival rate from 2015 through June 2018.
Our surgical planning often begins at fetal diagnosis, allaying family anxiety and ensuring parents know what to expect when their child is born. Our open and frequent family communication demonstrates our strong belief in quality, excellence and transparency.
Outcomes for patients with congenital heart disease across the country are collected by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Data is subdivided into five different groups depending on the level of risk.
- STAT 1 includes the lower risk conditions
- STAT 5 includes the highest risk conditions
This allows us to benchmark our outcomes with national data, as these comparative tables show. In all categories our mortality rate is equal to or lower than the national average with a 98% or higher survival rate in 3 categories.
Between 2015 and June 2018, we performed 825 operations. Of these, 562 qualify for STS data comparison.
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Pediatric Heart Surgery Mortality/Survival Rates 2015 – June 2018
Pediatric heart surgery survival rates compared by procedure risk categories over three years. St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital has a 98% or higher survival rate in three categories.
| 2015-June 2018 | Number of SJCH Patients |
National/STS Mortality Rate Data |
SJCH Mortality Rate Data | SJCH Survival Rate % Conversion |
| STAT 1 (low risk) |
0/174 | 0.4% | 0% | 100% |
| STAT 2 | 2/204 | 1.6% | 1.0% | 99% |
| STAT 3 | 1/59 | 2.3% | 1.7% | 98.3% |
| STAT 4 | 7/110 | 6.4% | 6.4% | 93.6% |
| STAT 5 (high risk) |
2/14 | 14.6% | 14.3% | 85.7% |
| All patients | 12/562 | 2.9% | 2.1% | 97.9% |
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Pediatric Heart Surgery Length of Stay by STAT level (LOS) 2015-June 2018
Length of stay in the hospital post-surgery is expressed as a median in days. In all categories, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital had a shorter length of stay for its post-surgery patients, which translates to reliable diagnosis, solid pre-surgery planning, quality execution and effective post-surgery care.
| LOS 2015-June 2018 |
Number of SJCH Patients | National/STS LOS Data | SJCH LOS Data | SJCH Patient Discharge post-surgery compared to national average |
| STAT 1 (low risk) |
174 | 7 | 3 | 4 days sooner |
| STAT 2 | 204 | 21 | 4 | 17 days sooner |
| STAT 3 | 59 | 16 | 5 | 11 days sooner |
| STAT 4 | 110 | 27 | 10 | 17 days sooner |
| STAT 5 (high risk) |
14 | 45 | 24 | 21 days sooner |
| All patients | 562 | N/A | 4 | Average SJCH LOS: 4 days |
St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Pediatric Heart Surgery Length of Stay (LOS) by Procedure 2015-June 2018
Length of stay in the hospital post-surgery is expressed by procedure as a median in days. In all categories, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital had a shorter length of stay for its post-surgery patients, which translates to reliable diagnosis, solid pre-surgery planning, quality execution and effective post-surgery care.
| 2015-June 2018 LOS Selected Procedures |
National/STS LOS Data | SJCH LOS Data | SJCH Patient Discharge post-surgery compared to national average |
| Ventricular septal defect | 9 | 4 | 5 days sooner |
| Coarctation (off bypass) | 13 | 3 | 10 days sooner |
| Tetralogy of Fallot | 12 | 5 | 7 days sooner |
| Atrioventricular septal defect |
17 | 6 | 11 days sooner |
| Arterial switch | 17 | 6 | 11 days sooner |
| Fontan |
14 | 7 | 7 days sooner |
| Norwood | 46 | 20 | 26 days sooner |
For more information call, (813) 357-0520.