The World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery: The Dawn of a New Era of Global Communication and Quality Improvement in Congenital Heart Disease

James D. St. Louis, Hiromi Kurosawa, Richard A. Jonas, Nestor Sandoval, Jorge Cervantes, Christo I. Tchervenkov, Jeffery P. Jacobs, Kisaburo Sakamoto, Giovanni Stellin, James K. Kirklin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

The World Society for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery was founded with the mission to “promote the highest quality comprehensive cardiac care to all patients with congenital heart disease, from the fetus to the adult, regardless of the patient’s economic means, with an emphasis on excellence in teaching, research, and community service.” Early on, the Society’s members realized that a crucial step in meeting this goal was to establish a global database that would collect vital information, allowing cardiac surgical centers worldwide to benchmark their outcomes and improve the quality of congenital heart disease care. With tireless efforts from all corners of the globe and utilizing the vast experience and invaluable input of multiple international experts, such a platform of global information exchange was created: The World Database for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease went live on January 1, 2017. This database has been thoughtfully designed to produce meaningful performance and quality analyses of surgical outcomes extending beyond immediate hospital survival, allowing capture of important morbidities and mortalities for up to 1 year postoperatively. In order to advance the societal mission, this quality improvement program is available free of charge to WSPCHS members. In establishing the World Database, the Society has taken an essential step to further the process of global improvement in care for children with congenital heart disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)597-599
Number of pages3
JournalWorld Journal for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery
Volume8
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • congenital heart disease (CHD)
  • congenital heart surgery
  • database (all types)
  • international collaboration

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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