30-day readmission rate for aortic valve replacement patients aged 65+ is about 20 percent

This was a large-scale study based on Medicare fee-for-service patients who had aortic valve replacement procedures from 1999 to 2011.  During this period, there has been a decrease in both in-hospital and 30-day mortality rates.  Both measures of mortality after the surgery were about 4 percent in 2011, the most recent year studied.  The median length of stay has remained constant at 7 days.  The 30-day readmission rate was found to be in the 20-21 percent range in the years studied.

Source: Barreto-Filho, J.A., Wang, Y, and others.  Trends in aortic valve replacement for elderly patients in the United States, 1999-2011.  JAMA;310(19):2078-2085, Nov. 20, 2013.  Click here for text: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/data/Journals/JAMA/929168/joi130102.pdf  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org