Cooper defends death rate for bypass

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, March, 2006 | by Josh Goldstein

Heart bypass patients at Cooper University Hospital in Camden were more than twice as likely to die in 2003 as those at the average New Jersey hospital, according to a state analysis of heart surgery.

But Cooper's head of cardiac services said the report, issued yesterday by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, failed to adequately adjust for the severity of its patients' conditions.

The report also showed that the number of bypass surgeries was dropping statewide, following national trends, and that patients undergoing the surgery were older and sicker.

The report found that 159 of the 6,817 people who had "isolated" bypass surgery died within 30 days of the procedure. The statewide, risk-adjusted mortality rate - which attempts to...