Death rates of patients who have heart bypass surgery drop: AHRQ

The proportion of patients who died in the hospital after having heart bypass surgery fell from 42 deaths per 1,000 admissions for the procedure to 24 per 1,000 - a rate of 43 percent between 2000 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Rural hospitals experienced the greatest improvement (92 percent), although their rate of 38 deaths per 1,000 admissions was still higher than for other hospitals. Suburban hospitals near large metropolitan areas had the lowest rate (21 per 1,000 admissions).

The federal agency also found that:

o In 2006, the heart bypass surgery death rate for women remained higher (35 per 1,000 admissions ) than for men (20 per 1,000 admissions) .

o Hospitals in counties with small cities (fewer than 50,000 residents) were the only ones that reported an increase in heart bypass surgery death rates between 2000 and 2006 (28 versus 31 per 1,000 admissions).

o In 2006, uninsured patients had the lowest heart bypass surgery death rate (23 deaths per 1,000 admissions) , followed by privately insured, Medicare, and Medicaid patients (24, 24.5, and 28 deaths per 1,000 admissions, respectively).

SOURCE Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality