In the current data year, 31 Swiss hospitals provided significant, risk-adjusted mortality data for cardiac catheterization (heart cath, PCI, balloon, stent) after heart attack. 44'256 patients were monitored in these hospitals by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (BAG). A total of 847 patients died in hospital. The average hospital mortality in cardiac catheterization was thus 1.9%, the highest rate observed in one clinic was 6.1%. The Clinique Cecil SA - Hirslanden, Lausanne achieved the lowest mortality rate of 0% in cardiac catheterization.
The FOPH's figures on cardiac catheters are very detailed. To make them easier to understand, we have combined five individual FOPH figures (A.3.2.M, A.3.4.M, A.3.5.M, A.3.7.M, A.3.8.M) into one.
Direct link to source not available in English - view it in German or in French (FOPH-code: A.3.2/4/5/7/8.M)
Quality report (pdf) not available in English - view it in German or in French
Department: Acute care
About the indicator «Mortality rate»
Relative proportion of deaths in hospital for a specific intervention or disease per hospital.
The hospitals sometimes treat groups of patients with different case severity. Therefore, the FOPH determines a rate of expected deaths per hospital and procedure. For the quality comparison, we use the ratio between the expected and the actually observed deaths (per intervention and per hospital). This is called risk adjustment. For this reason, it can occasionally happen that a hospital performs better in the ranking even though it has a slightly higher percentage of deaths.
Please note that we use the FOPH data per hospital site in order to achieve the most precise statements possible.
Strengths:
A low number of deaths is the main aim of each treatment and therefore a crucial indicator for patients. A low mortality rate is an indicator of effectively avoiding complications and good treatment processes in the hospital (e.g. quality of surgical techniques, avoidance of errors and complications etc)
Limits:
Unfortunately, mortality rates are not available for all interventions. It is not sure that results are transferable to similar interventions. Also, mortality rates are only meaningful when a sufficient number of cases is reached. Especially with interventions with a low risk of death the needed number of cases is very high and is only reached by large hospitals. For small hospitals it is often not possible to give a meaningful statement (while small case numbers are per se unfavorable, especially with complex interventions). Mortality rates are risk adjusted by the BAG by age and gender of the patient (for details please see the corresponding publications by BAG). A number of specialists have criticized this form of risk adjustment as inadequate. Also it needs to be noted that differences in patterns of relocating patients can introduce bias to mortality rates.
Very positively I rate my experience with the nursing staff on the ward, the hotellery, the infrastructure of the room, the food. By contrast, the operation was unpleasant (see below). I felt treated like a piece of meat. The nursing staff in the theater, however, was friendly!
About the surgery:
Cardiac catheter examination. Announced doctor was not present. No preliminary talk. Operation by "apprentice" without prior agreement. This one however appeared competent despite noticeable nervousness. Responsible doctor did NOT introduce himself! He wore no hood and nose was free despite the mask (surgeon: Dr. vermutlichFranzose Hatsichnichtvorgestellt)
transl. from german, inpatient treatment in Jan.2019, date of rating: 01.02.2019
Friendly, competent staff. everything was well explained to me. The only annoying thing was that they wanted to send me home at 11 pm after the procedure.
About the surgery:
Cardiac catheter examination, stent installation (surgeon: Dr. Klaus Weber)
transl. from german, inpatient treatment in Jul.2015, date of rating: 11.02.2018
The data on this page was last updated on May 20, 2022.
3.9
