Journal of cardiac surgery
-
Despite the sizeable volume of research on the determinants of outcome after cardiac operations, few articles have analyzed the learning curves of individual cardiac surgeons over time. The objective of our study was to analyze statistically the learning curve of an academic cardiac surgeon in reducing operative morbidity and mortality during a 10-year interval. ⋯ The mortality rate after coronary artery bypass grafting and select perioperative morbidity rates improved in a linear fashion from the onset of independent practice to year 10. The CUSUM method was helpful in identifying suboptimal results during the first year of practice and shows promise as a method of prospective quality control in cardiac surgery. These data support mentorship of new consultants by a senior surgeon during the first year or two of independent practice.