Mountain View, CA - February 26, 2014 - El Camino Hospital today announced that the Norma Melchor Heart and Vascular Institute has received a three-star rating for aortic valve replacement (AVR) outcomes for the period of July 2010 to June 2013 from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database. This is the highest rating offered by the STS and ranks El Camino Hospital in the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for outstanding performance and outcomes in AVR.
"Our commitment is to perform in the top ten percent in the country in quality,” said Tomi Ryba, president and chief executive officer of El Camino Hospital. “This is an example of that commitment. This achievement is a true testament to the expertise of our multidisciplinary cardiothoracic surgery team who produce the best outcomes in aortic valve replacement."
Over the past three years, the hospital has achieved a quality score of 96.7% for AVR, which is significantly better than the national average of 94.5%. Additionally, the hospital earned a three-star rating for Absence in Morbidity with a score of 90% (compared to 84.3% nationally), which looked at the following complications:
- Reoperations
- Renal failure
- Deep sternal infection/mediastinitis
- Prolonged ventilation
- Cerebrovascular accident /stroke
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety, with the corollary potential to be a powerful tool for clinical research. Since that time, the Database has grown exponentially both in terms of participation and stature. Today, it is the gold standard for specialty outcomes databases. By participating in the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery, General Thoracic Surgery, and/or Congenital Heart Surgery Databases, cardiothoracic surgeons are committing to improving the quality of care that their patients receive.
Learn more information about El Camino Hospital's cardiovascular specialties.