A coronary artery bypass graft addresses the most common form of heart disease, blockages limiting flow of blood through the coronary arteries. UW Health's multidisciplinary team addresses coronary artery disease through medication and lifestyle changes, but many patients require surgery to bypass diseased vessels. UW Hospital is a top performer among its regional peers in bypass outcomes, even in the most complex and advanced cases.

 

UW Hospital and Clinics participates in the University Healthsystem Consortium which allows us to compare our results to other academic medical centers across the country. For the 12-month period ending March 2008, UW Hospital and Clinics ranked first out of 88 participating hospitals with the lowest risk adjusted mortality and highest volumes for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts.

The graph below shows UW Hospital's outcomes for adult patients who underwent bypass surgery. The mortality rates are extremely low at less than 1.5 percent.

Included in these outcomes are surgeries performed "off pump." This advanced technique refers to operating while the heart is still beating. This novel technique is not only proven safe, but also advantageous for patients. Because the aorta faces less manipulation and intrusion through this method, patients have a lower risk of stroke. They also lower both the need for transfusion and impact on the kidneys because they are not dependent on a heart-lung pump during surgery.

 

 

 

*Data Analyses of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Cardiac Surgery Database - Spring 2006, Spring 2007, Spring 2008. Risk Adjusted Data.

 

 

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) database allows benchmarking of outcomes against similar programs in the United States at institutions that participate in the STS database. The data included here are replicated from the Data Analyses of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Adult Cardiac Surgery Database for the period ending December 31, 2007.