title: Standards for heart valve surgery in a 'Heart Valve Centre of Excellence'.
abstract: Surgical centres of excellence should include multidisciplinary teams with specialist expertise in imaging, clinical assessment and surgery for patients with heart valve disease. There should be structured training programmes for the staff involved in the periprocedural care of the patient and these should be overseen by national or international professional societies. Good results are usually associated with high individual and centre volumes, but this relationship is complex. Results of surgery should be published by centre and should include rates of residual regurgitation for mitral repairs and reoperation rates matched to the preoperative pathology and risk.
authors.affiliation: British Heart Valve Society, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chambers
authors.affiliation: British Cardiovascular Society, UK.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: British Cardiovascular Society, UK.
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prendergast
authors.affiliation: Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland , UK.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Society for Cardiological Science and Technology , UK.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Anaesthesia , Wythenshawe Hospital , Manchester , UK.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greenhalgh
authors.affiliation: Cardiac Surgery , John Radcliffe , Oxford , UK.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petrou
authors.affiliation: MedPass International , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tinkler
authors.affiliation: Herz-Zentrum Bad Krozingen , Germany.
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gohlke-Bärwolf
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery , Hospital Clinico, University of Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mestres
authors.affiliation: University of Vienna , Austria.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosenhek
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine , Laval University , Canada.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pibarot
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology , University of Washington , Seattle, Washington , USA.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , USA.
authors.forename: Thoralf
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sundt
keywords: QUALITY OF CARE AND OUTCOMES; VALVULAR DISEASE