title: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database 2016 Annual Report.
abstract: The art and science of outcomes analysis, quality improvement, and patient safety continue to evolve, and cardiothoracic surgery leads many of these advances. The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) National Database is one of the principal reasons for this leadership role, as it provides a platform for the generation of knowledge in all of these domains. Understanding these topics is a professional responsibility of all cardiothoracic surgeons. Therefore, beginning in January 2016, The Annals of Thoracic Surgery began publishing a monthly series of scholarly articles on outcomes analysis, quality improvement, and patient safety. This article provides a summary of the status of the STS National Database as of October 2016 and summarizes the articles about the STS National Database that appeared in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery 2016 series, "Outcomes Analysis, Quality Improvement, and Patient Safety."
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and Florida Hospital for Children, Saint Petersburg, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida. Electronic address: jeffjacobs@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Shahian
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Prager
authors.affiliation: University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, Florida.
authors.forename: Fred H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Jane M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiac Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins All Children's Heart Institute, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and Florida Hospital for Children, Saint Petersburg, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida.
authors.forename: Marshall L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.
authors.forename: Benjamin D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Kozower
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia.
authors.forename: Vinay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Badhwar
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Vinod H
authors.initials: VH
authors.lastname: Thourani
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Henning A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Gaissert
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Felix G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Fernandez
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Cameron D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.affiliation: Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paone
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cleveland
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: J Matthew
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Rachel S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Dokholyan
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brothers
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Sreekanth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vemulapalli
authors.affiliation: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.affiliation: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Eric D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Grover
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
authors.forename: G Alexander
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bavaria
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D061214:Patient Safety / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012955:Societies, Medical; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States