Coronary Bypass Mortality Rate Remains Steady at Calif. Hospitals
The mortality rate for coronary artery bypass graft surgeries at hospitals in California has remained steady at about 2.01% in 2011, almost unchanged from 2010, according to a report by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, Payers & Providers reports.
Details of Report
The report -- which surveyed 122 hospitals in the state -- found that the mortality rate for CABGs in 2011 was on par with the 2010 rate of 2% and the 2009 rate of about 1.9%.
Rates in recent years have been significantly lower than the rate of 2.91% in 2003 -- the first year hospitals were required to submit such data on CABG procedures. Over the past 10 years, the mortality rate from CABG has declined by about 31%.
The report also found that in California hospitals there were:
- 249 deaths reported in connection with 12,399 CABGs performed in 2011; and
- 251 deaths reported in connection with 12,548 CABGs performed in 2010.
In addition, the report found that the post-operative stroke rate remained relatively steady at 1.31% in 2011 -- up from 1.32% in 2010.
According to Payers & Providers, the number of CABGs performed each year also is declining in large part because of the development of less invasive treatment options, such as percutaneous coronary interventions.
For instance, the report found that the number of CABGs performed in the state declined by nearly 58% from 1997 to 2012.
Reaction
OSHPD spokesperson David Byrnes said, "The fact that many of our hospitals are operating on small numbers of patients each year may prevent them from gaining the experience to achieve dramatically lower mortality rates."
However, Byrnes said there still is "room for improvement," noting that some other states -- including Massachusetts and New York -- have annual mortality rates below 2% (Shinkman, Payers & Providers, 2/27).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.