Cardiovascular surgery in Spain performed in 2018. National registry of interventions of the Spanish Society of Thoracic-Cardiovascular Surgery

The Spanish Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular surgery reports the results of the 2018 registry of the surgical activity in our country. This year represents the 30th consecutive year in which this report is published. The participation in this registry is anonymous and voluntary, and it is based on the analysis of the information gathered from 62 centers with activity in cardiovascular surgery in our country, and the confidentiality of the individual data of each center is warranted. The registry reports the global activity in our country, the observed mortality and the estimated mortality risk, stratified in different types of procedures. The global cardiac surgical activity in our country remains stable, with an observed mortality that is adequately adjusted to the estimated surgical risk. During 2018,a total of 34.318 procedures of cardiovascular surgery were performe. Major heart surgery was performed in 23.141 cases, among which 21.082 procedures of adult cardiac surgery, 2.059 procedures of congenital cardiac surgery. Also, 4.101 procedures of peripheral vascular surgery were performed. Congenital and transplant registries are specifically analysed in their corresponding reports. Among the 21.082 procedures of acquired major cardiac surgery, isolated valve surgery was predominant (9.571 procedures), followed by coronary by-pass surgery (5.085), aorta surgery (2.397), combined coronary-valvular surgery (2.155), other procedures under cardiopulmonary bypass machine (CPB) (1.121) and ischemic mechanical complications (141). Vascular surgery and transcatheter activity are also reported. The information derived from this national registry allows to know the state-of-the-art of the surgical specialty in our country, through the knowledge of the surgical activity, the risk profile and the observed results, which is a keystone for an adequate evaluation of the quality of the health care that we deliver to the patients affected with cardiovascular pathologies. Risk adjusted mortality seems adequately adjusted, though important local differences are observed. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. on behalf of Sociedad Espanola de Cirugia Toracica-Cardiovascular.