BMJ  2004;328 (13 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7440.0-c

Children treated for heart conditions survive equally well across UK

Survival after paediatric cardiac surgery or therapeutic catheterisation is equal in 13 congenital heart disease centres in the United Kingdom. Gibbs and colleagues (p 611) analysed data from the central cardiac audit database for 2000-1 and found that results of individual centres and operators did not differ from the national average. Survival at one year was double than that at 30 days, and may be a better descriptor of overall outcome. When individual centres' data were broken down into distinct types of treatment, numbers became small, and risk stratification has yet to be developed. Independent validation of data is essential for accurate analysis, the authors say.

Credit: ALEXANDER TSIARAS/SPL

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Survival after surgery or therapeutic catheterisation for congenital heart disease in children in the United Kingdom: analysis of the central cardiac audit database for 2000-1

John L Gibbs, James L Monro, David Cunningham, and Anthony Rickards
BMJ 2004 328: 611. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]