Cardiac surgery and operative mortality in 1992 and 2002: the St Antonius experience

Comparing the changes in open-heart surgical procedures and hospital mortality in 1992 with 2002.

Retrospective investigation at St Antonius Hospital in Nieuwegein.

A comparison of the open-heart surgical procedures, hospital mortality and age distribution of the operated patients was made, using the database of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The total number of open-heart surgical procedures increased. There were more combined procedures, aortic valve replacements and reconstructions of the thoracic aorta. The total number of reoperations decreased. In 2002 the use of an arterial conduit for coronary bypass procedures reached 94%, and the radial artery was used for the first time. The mean patient age and the hospital mortality were higher in 2002.

Comparing cardiovascular surgery in 1992 to 2002 showed an increase in complicated procedures and older age groups of patients. This may be the reason for higher overall mortality. The mean patient age increased considerably from 1992 to 2002, together with the number of combined procedures and aortic valve replacements with biological valve prostheses. These trends give cardiovascular surgery a challenging future, to treat the patient adequately and keeping the mortality and complication rates low.