Lower Infection Rates at the Heart Institute

Preventing infections that a patient might get while in the hospital is one of the most important safety measures we take to protect your child.

Our cardiothoracic wound infection rate from 2010 to 2012

What is a cardiothoracic wound infection?

A cardiothoracic wound infection is an infection that can occur if germs (bacteria) get into the surgical wound. Cardiothoracic operations can be prone to infection, which can cause problems in a patient's recovery if not prevented.

Why do we measure this rate of infection?

A patient who gets this type of wound infection might not heal as quickly after heart surgery and may have a longer hospital stay, which is why we monitor and work so carefully to prevent it.

The graph below answers the question: how often did patients who had a cardiothoracic surgery get a surgical site infection as the result of a surgery?

(The graph shows the number of surgical cases per 100 procedures where patients developed an infection following surgery. The lower the number, the better.)

Our performance has improved from 2010 to 2012

Children's Hospital Colorado measures its Surgical Site Infection rate as the number of infections per 100 surgical cases.  This is the measurement style endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  We compare our Surgical Site Infection rate to the National Health and Safety Network (NHSN), a branch of the CDC, benchmark.

Children's Colorado's Cardiothoracic Wound Infection Rate in 2010 was 3.15 per 100 procedures. Since that time, we have decreased our rate by 50 percent to 1.60 wound infections per 100 procedures during 2012. Our rate continues to decrease due to ongoing efforts by our Cardiothoracic and Cardiology teams. It is our goal to keep every patient safe and healthy during their recovery.

About this data

What is the source of this data?

This data is collected by the Department of Epidemiology at Children's Hospital Colorado using information provided to them by the Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery teams. 

Do we have a national benchmark?

Yes. Children's Colorado uses the NHSN benchmark as endorsed by the CDC. 

How often should the data be updated?

We continually track our infection rates and will publically report these data every six months on this website.

How you can help

Something you can do to help us reduce infection is to ask your healthcare provider if his/her hands are clean if you have not observed them practicing hand hygiene before examining your child. We welcome the reminder from any member of your child's care team, especially you. Also, be sure to ask your doctor, nurse or other provider about our ongoing efforts to provide the best care possible and to reduce these types of infections.

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Read how we've been able to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections.