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Deborah Heart and Lung Center bypass patients have the lowest risk of surgery mortality statewide, according to numbers released by the New Jersey Department of Health on Aug. 25.

Deborah had a mortality rate of 0.18% patients who died during coronary artery bypass graft, or bypass surgery, or in the immediate 30 days following surgery. This rate is significantly lower than the average 1.80% mortality rate statewide.

The Heath Department releases the cardiac surgery report card every two years based on data collected about outcomes of CABG from the state’s 18 licensed cardiac surgery centers. The report is intended to guide patients and families considering bypass surgery, providing data on the state’s cardiac surgery programs and answers to commonly asked questions.

Data for the report excludes patients with other complicating conditions to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison amongst centers, and data is risk-adjusted to account for the hospitals and surgeons treating sicker patients. Recently released data is from 2017-18.

“Deborah has a robust cardiac surgery program, with a combined 1,000 CABG and other surgeries in the report’s time frame,” said Tara Hankins, vice president of Surgery and chief perfusionist at Deborah. “Not only does Deborah have high case volume, Deborah had the lowest risk-adjusted operative mortality rate in New Jersey. When you look at the charts in the report, they clearly illustrate the excellent quality outcomes of our cardiac surgery program.”

“These numbers reflect the high caliber of care offered at Deborah, including that provided by our skilled surgeons, led by our Chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Paul Burns, MD, and the outstanding preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care provided by our exceptional nursing and dedicated hospital staff,” she said.

Dr. Ronald Ross, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Deborah, was singled out by name in the report as having a risk-adjusted mortality rate “significantly lower . . . than the Statewide rate”.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center, at 0.51%, had the second lowest risk-adjusted mortality rate. Cardiac surgery chief Dr. Frederic Sardari noted Saint Barnabas’ “actively growing program offers the most advanced surgical techniques and procedures, with results that are among the best in the state.”

Englewood Hospital and Medical Center had the third lowest mortality rate in the state, with 0.87% patients dying while in hospital following CABG surgery or within 30 days of their CABG surgery. Englewood’s doctors, like the doctors at Saint Barnabas and elsewhere, performed hundreds of CABG surgeries over 2017-18.

Dr. Adam Arnofsky, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Englewood Health, told NJBIZ that his team works hard to maintain one of the state’s highest quality surgical outcomes.

“It’s great to see that the effort pays off as reflected in the reported data,” Arnofsky said. “I’m proud of the entire team’s effort – from my surgical colleagues, to our clinical staff, to our nurses and the entire staff that interacts with our patients; everybody shares in taking the credit for our exemplary outcomes.”