title: Outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting: a 3 year analysis using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accurate risk factor analysis is a critical element in contemporary cardiac surgical practice. In the USA, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database allows institutions and individual surgeons to carry out detailed patient risk assessment and to review their cardiac surgical outcomes in a comparative fashion.
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate outcomes of isolated coronary artery bypass grafting, data from all patients operated upon at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, over a 3 year period were entered into the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results (mortality and morbidity) compared favourably with those contained within this large international database.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is hoped that a similar Australasian database can be established to facilitate a meaningful local risk assessment and a comparative analysis of outcomes of cardiac surgical procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Alfred Hospital, Prahran, Victoria, Australia. jasmith@al.com.au
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Mack
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Rosenfeldt
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Salamonsen
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rabinov
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Pick
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Esmore