State Department of Health Issues Report on Adult Cardiac Surgery and Angioplasty Procedures In-Hospital and Thirty-Day Valve and Combined Valve Bypass Mortality Rate at All-Time Low

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 15, 2012) - Cardiac care in New York hospitals continues to be of the highest quality with low risk of death or complications, according to two reports issued by the state Department of Health (DOH).

The reports include information on adult cardiac surgery and angioplasty procedures performed at hospitals in the state from 2008-2010.

"These reports highlight the excellent team of doctors and nurses dedicated to providing New Yorker's with first-rate cardiac care," said State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah, M.D., M.P.H. "Under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, the Department will continue to work in partnership with hospitals and physicians to ensure high-quality care for patients with heart disease. These report results will be used by hospitals throughout the state to improve patient safety and outcomes."

The Adult Cardiac Surgery Report includes analyses of cardiac bypass surgery, valve surgery, combined bypass/valve surgery and physician-specific data from 40 hospitals in New York State. The Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) Report provides data on procedures used to clear blocked coronary arteries. These procedures are commonly referred to as "coronary stenting" or "angioplasty." The outcomes outlined in the report, show 164,547 patients underwent PCI at 59 hospitals that perform this procedure in New York.

Highlights of the reports include:

Adult Cardiac Surgery

  • The 2010 in-hospital/30-day mortality rate for cardiac bypass surgery was 1.58 percent – a decrease from the 2009 rate of 1.79 percent.
  • The 2008-2010 combined in-hospital/30-day mortality rate for valve and combined valve bypass surgeries was 4.59 percent, down from 5.45 percent for 2005-2007.
  • In 2010, 9,421 cardiac bypass surgeries were performed in New York State, compared to 11,445 performed in 2007 (10148 in 2009) and a high of 20,220 in 1997. Cardiac bypass surgeries have decreased due to the increase in the use of PCI, particularly among patients with 2-3 vessel disease.

Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

  • The 2010 combined in-hospital/30-day mortality rate of PCI procedures was 0.84 percent, down slightly from 0.91 percent in 2009. In 2010 the number of angioplasties in New York State increased to 54,035 from 53,893 in 2009.
  • 2010 non-emergency PCI procedures (procedures performed on patients who are not in shock, do not have very low blood pressure and have not had a heart attack within 24 hours before the procedure) increased to 46,749 from 46,642 in 2009.

Mortalities include any death occurring during the same hospital stay in which a patient underwent cardiac surgery or angioplasty, as well as any death that occurs after hospital discharge and within 30 days of the procedure. Results are reported for hospitals and individual physicians performing the procedures.

The primary sources of data for the reports are the New York State Cardiac Surgery Reporting System and the New York State Percutaneous Coronary Interventions Reporting System. These clinical registries gather information on each patient's demographic and clinical characteristics, the procedure performed and the outcome. As part of the reporting system, hospitals can track their own data and compare their experience to statewide outcomes.

"It is of particular note that the mortality rate for cardiac valve procedures has dropped substantially during the many years in which these reports have been issued," said Dr. Edward Hannan, Ph.D., distinguished professor and associate dean for research emeritus at the University at Albany School of Public Health and consultant to New York's Cardiac Advisory Committee. "The overall surgery and PCI results are a tribute to the unrelenting and successful efforts of the New York State Department of Health and its Cardiac Advisory Committee to provide hospitals, physicians and patients in the state with risk-adjusted cardiac outcomes that serve as the impetus for monitoring and improving the quality of cardiac care in the State."

The reports are available at: