Latest Ochsner Health Pediatric Cardiac Surgical Data Shows Superior Outcomes for the Region

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – Hearing that a child needs heart surgery can be overwhelming. Fortunately, at Ochsner Health and Ochsner Hospital for Children, patients and their families are in expert hands. Recent pediatric outcomes for congenital heart patients show the hospital system’s highly specialized surgeons performed significantly better than others in the region — even when caring for the most complex cases. For the fifth year in a row, Ochsner’s surgical outcomes also continued to exceed national averages.

“Our consistently superior results show that Ochsner is truly a leader in cardiovascular surgery for our region, and it speaks to our team’s excellence in providing high quality pediatric care,” said Benjamin Peeler, MD, leader of Ochsner’s Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiac Surgery Program and board-certified congenital cardiac surgeon. “Ochsner is proud to be a destination for pediatric cardiac care, and we continue to make exceptional services accessible, close to home, for our families in the Gulf South.”

To measure outcomes for our most complex pediatric heart cases – including the repair of heart defects that can only be fixed in surgery — Ochsner reviews statistics from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database. The STS is the leading patient safety and quality improvement registry for cardiothoracic surgeons, with the nation’s largest and most comprehensive congenital heart surgery database and public reporting site. Participating centers submit data twice yearly, and after analysis the STS reports the data as four-year averages.

Results for 2017-2021 show Ochsner’s outcomes surpassed expectations for neonatal patients, infants, children, and adults, based on a mortality risk model that accounts for how sick patients were before treatment. The newly released data shows Ochsner performed significantly better than most major hospitals in the region. Specifically, Ochsner was one of the only programs in the region with overall mortality rates less than expected.

Overall Mortality Rates

Furthermore, the results showed that no program in the region had comparable results when measuring outcomes for the most complex congenital heart surgeries. In the STS report, STAT 1 represents the most straightforward operations, while STAT 5 represents the most complex with the highest expected mortality rates. Ochsner’s results for this category (Stat 5) placed the health system in the top 10% of outcomes nationwide (see table). When the surgeries become more complex, the team at Ochsner Hospital for Children distinguishes itself with lower-than-expected mortality rates. Additionally, STS data shows that length of stay for Ochsner’s patients following surgery is below national averages in 9 out of 10 tracked operations. “Lower length of stay in our patients not only indicates accurate and safe surgery, but also reflects efficient, appropriate postoperative care with fewer complications. This shows that the entire congenital heart program is functioning at a high level to ensure the best outcomes for our patients and families,” Peeler explained.

Stat Mortality Category 5 (Most Complex Cases)

For years, Ochsner Hospital for Children has built a team of internationally renowned pediatric experts. Dr. Peeler has built one of the region’s most comprehensive and successful programs, a feat reflected in ascending national rankings, including by the U.S. News & World Report – the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice. The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings, introduced in 2007, was created to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available.

For the second year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked Ochsner Hospital for Children No.1 in Louisiana, with pediatric cardiology and heart surgery ranked among the nation’s top 50. Ochsner Hospital for Children also offers the only pediatric heart and liver transplant program in the state, serving over 76,000 children every year with over 150 physicians specializing in more than 30 pediatric specialties and sub-specialties.

“At Ochsner, we are thankful to our growing team of pediatric and congenital heart experts, which include cardiology, surgery, critical care, anesthesia, nursing and so many more,” Peeler said. “Thanks to their expertise and dedication to our region, Ochsner has become a trusted name for families whose children have congenital heart defects.”

Ochsner Hospital for Children’s comprehensive congenital heart program includes a 12-bed state-of-the-art pediatric cardiac intensive care unit dedicated to patients with often complex needs. The hospital’s highly trained congenital heart team includes interventional cardiologists, heart failure and transplant cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, electrophysiologists, pulmonary hypertension specialists, geneticists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, imaging specialists, pediatric anesthesiologists, pediatric intensivists, perfusionists, sonographers, nurses and critical care cardiac specialists.

Together with experienced care teams, Ochsner surgeons provide patients with access to the most advanced treatments and technologies. This includes palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome with the Norwood procedure, valvular repair, Ross procedures, ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation, heart transplants and much more.

Data shows congenital heart defects are the most common types of birth abnormalities, affecting around 1 out of every 100 babies born. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 1 million children in America living with congenital heart defects. About one in four babies born with a life-threatening or critical heart defect will require surgery within the first year of life. Additionally, due to improved outcomes, more than 1 million adults in the United States are living with congenital heart disease.

For more information about Ochsner’s congenital heart program or to make an appointment, please visit http://www.ochsner.org/chd or call 504-842-5200. For more information about Ochsner’s pediatric cardiology program, visit https://www.ochsner.org/services/pediatric-cardiology.For more information about Ochsner Hospital for Children, please visit www.ochsner.org/pediatrics.

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About Ochsner Health  

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 36,000 employees and over 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit www.ochsner.org.