Does ICU structure impact patient outcomes after congenital heart surgery? A critical appraisal of "care models and associated outcomes in congenital heart surgery" by Burstein et al (Pediatrics 2011; 127: e1482-e1489).

OBJECTIVE

To review the findings and discuss the implications of different ICU care models on morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients after congenital heart surgery.

DATA SOURCES

The electronic PubMed database was used to perform the clinical query, as well as to search for additional pertinent literature.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

The article by Burstein DS et al "Care Models and Associated Outcomes in Congenital Heart Surgery. Pediatrics 2011; 15:77-81" was selected for critical appraisal and literature review.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The authors evaluated in-hospital mortality, postoperative length of stay, and postoperative complications in pediatric patients after congenital heart surgery and compared the odds of these outcomes by model of care received (cardiac ICU or mixed ICU). The data for the study was extracted from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardiothoracic Surgery (STS-EACTS) database. Overall, the cardiac ICU group represented hospitals with higher surgical volumes and included more patients with high-risk defects. After multivariate analysis, the adjusted in-hospital mortality was not associated with the care model (cardiac ICU vs. ICU). The only significant finding was a lower morality in the STS-EACTS risk category 3 (odds ratio, 0.47 [95% CI, 0.25-0.86]). There were no significant differences between groups for adjusted postoperative length of stay or postoperative complications.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper suggests that the composition of the ICU is not a critical factor in determining outcomes after congenital heart surgery. Other factors, such as expertise of the nurses, physicians, and surgeons, as well as technical performance, should be considered.