Torrance, Calif. (March 8, 2002) - Harbor-UCLA Research & Education Institute (REI) announced new study findings that may play a pivotal role in reducing the number of deaths that occur during pediatric cardiac surgery. Study results conclude that regionalization – the rationalization of resource allocation, especially for highly specialized medical services or technologies -- of pediatric cardiac surgery is associated with a reduction in surgical mortality.
Investigators used a refined simulation model to learn that of 6,592 children from 20 California-based hospitals who underwent cardiac surgeries between 1995 and 1997, 83 deaths could have been avoided when all patients from low-and medium-volume hospitals were referred to high-volume hospitals. The results of the study, conducted by Ruey-Kang R. Chang, MD, MPH and his collaborator, Thomas S. Klitzner, MD, PhD at the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, were recently published in Pediatrics.
“In California alone, 4,000 children are born every year with some form of heart disease, up to half of whom need open heart surgery,” said Dr. Chang. “This is an interesting study that looks at the effect of regionalization on outcomes of pediatric heart surgery, and has the potential to influence how policies are made for organizing services for children with heart disease. Although regionalization is associated with an important decrease in the number of deaths, it also increases the travel distance for many patients. Additional studies on the costs and benefits of regionalization are needed to determine the best strategies to improve outcomes for children who undergo cardiac surgery,” he added.
Adam Jonas, Chair, department of pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center cited the importance of this study. “Health care studies tend to be concerned with specifics of diagnosis and treatment. However, the systems through which medical services are provided also may have a major impact on health care. This study is an important attempt to shed some light on how the organization of medical care may have impact on the effectiveness of that care.”
Dr. Chang is an assistant professor in residence, division of cardiology, department of pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA, and joined REI in 1999. A graduate of the National Taiwan University, College of Medicine, he served his residency in pediatrics and completed his fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the University of California Los Angeles Medical Center. He has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his contributions to research in pediatric cardiology, including the National Research Service Award sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the American College of Cardiology/ Bristol Myers Affiliate-In-Training Travel Award. Dr. Chang recently received the Mentored Clinical Scientist Award (K23) from the National Institutes of Health.
Harbor-UCLA Research & Education Institute, located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California, is a leading independent, not-for-profit biomedical research institute with an international reputation for scientific discovery, the training of physician-scientists and the provision of community service programs. It is an affiliate of both the UCLA School of Medicine and the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and has an annual budget of $58 million. The Institute traces its roots back to 1952, when researchers and physicians joined forces with the UCLA School of Medicine on the campus of what was then known as Harbor General Hospital to conduct a handful of research studies. Today, more than 1,000 research projects and clinical trials are being conducted at REI, advancing scientific understanding in order to improve medical outcomes and promote innovation in such areas as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infectious disease, vaccine evaluation and research, autoimmune disorders, inherited disorders, male contraception, various aspects of women’s health, and developmental disorders and other pediatric health problems.
Journal
PEDIATRICS