NHS heart surgery patients in England and Wales have a greater chance of survival and recover more quickly than almost anywhere in Europe according to the first ever comparative study of cardiac operations data from across the continent.
The figures, which track over one million cardiac operations from 23 countries, reveal that despite carrying out a high proportion of urgent operations and treating some of the oldest patients in Europe, mortality rates in England and Wales are significantly better than expected and some 25% lower than the European average.
The report also shows that hospital stays in England and Wales are around 10% shorter than the European average, translating to direct savings to the NHS in bed days of around £6.4m for coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) alone. The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland says that these achievements reflect the investment in quality improvement by cardiac surgeons in the UK.
England and Wales’ consistently above average results are all the more impressive given that together they are by far the most comprehensive contributor of data; almost a third of all operations in the database are English. This provides further evidence that the collection, analysis and publication of this type of data improves quality of patient care.
Overall, the report demonstrates that quality of cardiac surgery is consistently improving, with mortality rates declining across the continent, but with some national variations in both care quality and access to treatment between contributing countries.
David Taggart, president of the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland, said: “UK cardiac surgeons are very proud of the fact that they publish the most comprehensive cardiac surgery data in Europe. This not only demonstrates a strong commitment to quality and transparency but also provides enormous reassurance for patients. The results confirm that cardiac surgery in the UK is amongst the very best in Europe and that mortality rates have fallen by half over the past five years as a direct result of the collection, analysis and publication of outcome data. Our European partners should be encouraged that this approach is likely to lead to a similar improvement in results.”
John Black, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “This excellent data is the culmination of years of hard work carried out by NHS cardiac units. As a result of the profession’s dedication we are now leaders in Europe in the measurement of quality and outcomes of cardiac surgery, an achievement I am sure all other surgical specialties will wish to emulate.”
