From Volume to Value Creation in Cardiac Surgery: What is Needed to Get off the Ground in Brazil?

Some characteristics favored the great development of cardiovascular surgery; among them, creativity for developing techniques and devices and, mainly, much courage. Thus, cardiovascular surgery had a fantastic evolution, driven by its impact on the patient’s quality of life, quickly becoming one of the most performed procedures in the world. Maybe this would not have happened if not for two factors: on the one hand, the improvement of technical skills as a result of the increased surgical volume, and, on the other hand, the information from the databases analyzes. ^, This has led to continuous improvement in perioperative techniques, devices, and outcomes.

This may explain the outcome improvement, even when procedures have become more complex and performed in increasingly severe patients. From the analysis of these records, some issues emerged to be resolved. This was when mortality risk scores were introduced to adjust and better understand the results. From that moment, and to achieve continuous improvement, implementing quality programs has become a necessity. Another important step was the hospitals’ public reporting initiatives, introducing the concept of transparency.

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