Quality
Quality Indicators for Congenital Heart Surgery
- Participation in a systematic multi-institutional database (registry) for cardiac surgery
- Evaluate and benchmark results
- Outcome-based quality improvement initiatives
- On-site full-time database manager dedicated to cardiac surgery
- Participation in preoperative multidisciplinary conference involving cardiology, cardiac surgery, anesthesia, and critical care to plan surgical cases
- Multidisciplinary rounds involving cardiology, cardiac surgery, and critical care
- Regularly scheduled peer review quality assurance conference
- Regularly scheduled multidisciplinary educational conference for “Up-To-Date” topics
- Routine intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE)
- Routine modified ultrafiltration (MUF)
- Routine cerebral oxygen saturation monitoring
- Availability of continuous mixed venous oxygen saturation monitoring
- Availability of institutional pediatric ExtraCorporeal Life Support (ECLS/ECMO) Program
- Strict protocol for preoperative skin cleansing and appropriately timed antibiotic administration
- Selection of body weight appropriate dosage of all medications
- Routine appropriately timed medication regimen to minimize the inflammatory response to surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass
- Defined safety protocol for re-do sternotomy
- Dedicated pediatric cardiac anesthesiologists
- Dedicated pediatric cardiac OR nursing team
- Board-certified PICU physicians in-house 24/7
- Ongoing patient/family satisfaction survey with active feedback to implement positive change
- Electronic communication of case details to the team 1 week prior to case
- Operative briefing and debriefing of the team
- Defined OR to PICU transfer protocol