In the past two years, cardiothoracic surgery at Cooper University Hospital has been transformed into a cardiac program that has been recognized as among the top 14 percent in the nation by The Society for Thoracic Surgeons.
The “Three Star” rating that Cooper received places it in the highest quality tier of The Society for Thoracic Surgeons comprehensive rating system. This system compares the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. All aspects of quality care in cardiothoracic surgery were measured including compliance with recommended medical practices, prompt delivery of time-critical treatment, availability of resources, staff performance and patient outcomes.
“This is an outstanding achievement that could not have been accomplished without the dedication and hard work of the entire staff,” said Michael Rosenbloom, M.D., Chief, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
Some very significant 2008 statistics that were evaluated for this rating included:
* 88% of coronary artery bypass surgery at Cooper was performed off-pump, which means that the patients’ hearts were not stopped or placed on a heart-lung bypass machine. Nationally, only 22% of hospitals in the U.S. performed this surgery off-pump.
* There has been a significant decrease in the utilization of blood products.
* 65% of Cooper cardiac surgery patients received two or more arterial grafts.
Cooper’s cardiothoracic surgeons, Michael Rosenbloom, M.D., Richard Y. Highbloom, M.D., and Frank W. Bowen, M.D., are performing innovative and complex procedures on a patient population that is often medically complex; and they are achieving some of the best patient outcomes in the Delaware Valley.
“Cooper’s cardiac surgery staff provides the highest quality of cardiothoracic surgical care and the most advanced cardiac services to the patients of southern New Jersey,” said Dr. Rosenbloom. “We look forward to continuing that tradition as we move forward with our planned expansion of the program.”
