The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) database:an introduction

Continuous monitoring of surgical outcomes through benchmarking and the identification of best practices has become increasingly important. A structured approach to data collection, coupled with validation, analysis and reporting, is a powerful tool in these endeavours. However, inconsistencies in standards and practices have made comparisons within and between European countries cumbersome. The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) has established a large international database with the goals of (i) working with other organizations towards universal data collection and creating a European-wide repository of information on the practice of cardio-thoracic surgery, and (ii) disseminating that information in scientific, peer-reviewed articles. We report on the process of data collection, as well as on an overview of the data in the database. The EACTS Database Committee met for the first time in Monaco, September 2002, to establish the ground rules for the process of setting up the database. Subsequently, data have been collected and merged by Dendrite Clinical Systems Ltd. As of December 2008, the database included 1 074 168 patient records from 366 hospitals located in 29 countries. The latest submission from the years 2006-08 included 404 721 records. The largest contributors were the UK (32.0%), Germany (20.9%) and Belgium (7.3%). Isolated coronary bypass surgery was the most frequently performed operation; the proportion of surgical workload that comprised isolated coronary artery bypass grafting varied from country to country: 30% in Spain and almost 70% in D The EACTS database has proven to be an important step forward in providing opportunities for monitoring cardiac surgical care across Europe. As the database continues to expand, it will facilitate research projects, establish benchmarking standards and identify potential areas for quality improvements

Coronary artery bypass grafting: Part 2--optimizing outcomes and future prospects

Since first introduced in the mid-1960s, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has become the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease. Surprisingly, the fundamental surgical technique itself did not change much over time. Nevertheless, outcomes after CABG have dramatically improved over the first 50 years. Randomized trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to CABG have shown converging outcomes for select patient populations, providing more evidence for wider use of PCI. It is increasingly important to focus on the optimization of the short- and long-term outcomes of CABG and to reduce the level of invasiveness of this procedure. This review provides an overview on how new techniques and widespread consideration of evolving strategies have the potential to optimize outcomes after CABG. Such developments include off-pump CABG, clampless/anaortic CABG, minimally invasive CABG with or without extending to hybrid procedures, arterial revascularization, endoscopic vein harvesting, intraprocedural epiaortic scanning, graft flow assessment, and improved secondary prevention measures. In addition, this review represents a framework for future studies by summarizing the areas that need more rigorous clinical (randomized) evaluation

Cost-Effectiveness and Projected Survival of Self-Expanding Transcatheter Versus Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement for High Risk Patients in a European Setting: A Dutch Analysis Based on the CoreValve High Risk Trial

<p><b>Background:</b> Clinical and economic outcomes of self-expanding bioprosthetic transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in high-risk surgical candidates are unknown in the European setting. The objective of this study was to project life expectancy and to estimate the cost-effectiveness of TAVI in a European setting.</p> <p><b>Methods:</b> Cost-utility analysis via probabilistic Markov modeling was performed. A simulated cohort of 83-year-old men and women (53 and 47%, respectively) with severe aortic stenosis at high but not extreme surgical risk were observed in the CoreValve High Risk Trial. Costs were based on resource use data from a Dutch academic medical center and costing guidelines. Undiscounted life expectancy and discounted costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), and proportion cost-effective at a willingness-to-pay threshold of €50,000/QALY were evaluated. Beyond the base case, further analyses explored a “lean scenario” that considered a shorter TAVI procedure time and hospital stay.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> Mean projected survival increased by 0.65 life years (5.62 for TAVI vs. 4.97 for SAVR). TAVI was projected to add 0.41 (3.69 vs. 3.27) QALYs at an increased cost of €9048 (€51,068 vs. €42,020), resulting in an ICER of €21,946 per QALY gained. The probability of TAVI being cost-effective was 71%. Further cost reduction of approximately €5400 in addition to the “lean” assumptions would make TAVI the dominant strategy.</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> A self-expanding TAVI system for high-risk surgical candidates increases quality-adjusted life expectancy at an economically acceptable cost in the Dutch setting. Reductions in procedure time and length of hospital stay will further improve the value of TAVI.</p

Costs of transcatheter versus surgical aortic valve replacement in intermediate-risk patients

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) offers a new treatment option for patients with aortic stenosis, but costs may play a decisive role in decision making. Current studies are evaluating TAVR in an intermediate-risk population. We assessed the in-hospital and 1-year follow-up costs of patients undergoing TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) at intermediate operative risk and identified important cost components

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in Europe: adoption trends and factors influencing device utilization

OBJECTIVES The authors sought to examine the adoption of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in Western Europe and investigate factors that may influence the heterogeneous use of this therapy. BACKGROUND Since its commercialization in 2007, the number of TAVR procedures has grown exponentially. METHODS The adoption of TAVR was investigated in 11 European countries: Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark, and Ireland. Data were collected from 2 sources: 1) lead physicians submitted nation-specific registry data; and 2) an implantation-based TAVR market tracker. Economic indexes such as healthcare expenditure per capita, sources of healthcare funding, and reimbursement strategies were correlated to TAVR use. Furthermore, we assessed the extent to which TAVR has penetrated its potential patient population. RESULTS Between 2007 and 2011, 34,317 patients underwent TAVR. Considerable variation in TAVR use existed across nations. In 2011, the number of TAVR implants per million individuals ranged from 6.1 in Portugal to 88.7 in Germany (33 ± 25). The annual number of TAVR implants performed per center across nations also varied widely (range 10 to 89). The weighted average TAVR penetration rate was low: 17.9%. Significant correlation was found between TAVR use and healthcare spending per capita (r = 0.80; p = 0.005). TAVR-specific reimbursement systems were associated with higher TAVR use than restricted systems (698 ± 232 vs. 213 ± 112 implants/million individuals ≥ 75 years; p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS The authors' findings indicate that TAVR is underutilized in high and prohibitive surgical risk patients with severe aortic stenosis. National economic indexes and reimbursement strategies are closely linked with TAVR use and help explain the inequitable adoption of this therapy