A simple risk index for cardiac surgery

In this study, investigators developed a cardiac surgery risk index to predict the risks of death, prolonged intensive care unit stay, and prolonged postoperative hospitalization. Six variables – age, sex, left ventricular function, repeat surgery, and urgency as well as type of surgery – based on data from 6, 213 patients undergoing cardiac surgery were identified as significant risk factors for these three outcomes. These factors were combined into a simple risk index, which was subsequently validated successfully in a second cohort, of 6,885 cardiac surgery patients. The index has potential application as a risk stratification tool both for assessing individual patient risk and for comparing the risk-adjusted mortality rates and resource use at different hospitals and among cardiovascular surgeons.