The Department of Surgery is pleased to announce that Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York (MSCHONY) has been recognized by the New York State Department of Health (NYS-DOH) in its most recent report on pediatric congenital cardiac surgery for having the lowest risk-adjusted mortality rate (RAMR) in the state. MSCHONY’s pediatric cardiac surgery program was the only hospital in the New York State to have a RAMR significantly below the state average, and the only center to receive recognition for its exceptional outcomes for the past twelve years.
Congenital heart defects encompass a wide range of abnormalities present at birth. According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, these are the most prevalent forms of birth defects, affecting approximately 35,000 newborns annually, or 8 in 1,000 infants. Approximately .2 to .3 percent of cases require corrective surgery.
The “Pediatric Congenital Cardiac Surgery in New York State, 2006-2009” report uses statistical methodologies to standardize data on all pediatric congenital cardiac surgeries statewide, and then compares the mortality rates of each hospital to the statewide risk-adjusted average. This enables outcomes at all ten hospitals in the state approved to perform pediatric cardiac surgery to be compared, while accounting for differences in outcomes based upon various risk factors and other demographic determinants that may influence patient outcomes. In particular, this adjusts for differences in outcomes for hospitals that perform a higher volume of high-risk procedures.
The statewide mortality rate from 2006-2009 was 3.35 percent for all pediatric congenital cardiac surgery patients. At MSCHONY, the risk-adjusted mortality rate was the lowest in the state, at 1.95 percent. The report also indicates that MSCHONY performed 1,624 pediatric congenital cardiac surgeries between 2006 and 2009, or more than twice the number of procedures performed by the second highest volume surgical center.
In this three year period, 31.5 percent of all pediatric congenital cardiac surgeries in New York State were performed at MSCHONY. While experience alone is not a determinant of successful outcomes, MSCHONY has consistently demonstrated superior outcomes along while demonstrating expertise and extensive experience with a wide range of procedures, including high-risk surgeries.
For more information about pediatric congenital cardiac surgery, please visit New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York (MSCHONY).
