Experience with an Acuity Adaptable Care Model for Pediatric Cardiac Surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
• Healthcare Models
• Patient Outcomes

Background:

• Describes the implementation and outcomes of an acuity adaptable care model for pediatric cardiac surgery patients.
• Compares a conventional care model with an acuity adaptable model over a defined study period.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and impact of an acuity adaptable care model in a pediatric cardiac surgery program.
• To assess changes in patient outcomes, including operative mortality and failure to rescue rates.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study comparing three groups: conventional care (July 2007-June 2010), transitional care (July 2010-June 2012), and acuity adaptable care (June 2012-June 2015).
• Included 2,363 pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
• Analyzed operative mortality, failure to rescue rates, and postoperative length of stay.

Main Results:

• The acuity adaptable group showed a trend towards shorter postoperative hospital stays (P = .07).
• A significant decrease in the failure to rescue rate was observed in the acuity adaptable group (4.2%) compared to the conventional group (8.7%; P = .04).
• Adjusted odds of operative mortality in the acuity adaptable group were 0.55 (95% CI: 0.26-1.18; P = .12) compared to the conventional group.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of an acuity adaptable care model is feasible within a pediatric cardiac program.
• The model demonstrated promising associations with improved patient outcomes, notably a reduced failure to rescue rate.
• Further validation in larger, multicenter studies is recommended to confirm these findings.