A technical review of the United Kingdom National Adult Cardiac Surgery Governance analysis 2008-11

The Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery in Great Britain and Ireland (SCTS) has published named mortality data since 2001. The importance of accurate and robust clinical outcome reporting has been emphasized by a number of high-profile cases in England. In this article, we give a technical review of the United Kingdom National Adult Cardiac Surgery Governance Analysis 2008–11. The statistical and analytical assumptions and methods are discussed in order to add an additional layer of transparency to the clinical governance process and precipitate scrutiny with the aim of optimizing future analyses.