Hospital suspends elective heart surgeries on children after CNN investigation

[UglyGreed]

Atlanta (CNN)St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, has suspended elective pediatric heart surgeries after a CNN investigation calculated that the program had a mortality rate for open heart surgeries three times higher than the national average.

CNN report on high mortality rate for babies at Florida hospital leads to inquiry

"We currently have no elective pediatric congenital cardiac surgery cases scheduled, and we do not intend to schedule any until we have completed our review," the hospital stated in the press release.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/08/health/hospital-suspends-elective-heart-surgeries-on-children-after-cnn-investigation/

[marym625]

1. Why did they need CNN to tell them this?

Shame on them for not doing this themselves.

[UglyGreed]

2. Elective is the key

word here. Is this done in the name of science or profit?

[marym625]

3. oddly,

I don't know. Elective, when it comes to surgery, is a strange term to me. For instance, I had surgery for endometriosis. I had a severe case and my ovary had adhered to the pelvic wall. I was in agony and couldn't even stand up straight. But the surgery was elective because I could live without it.

Also, many hospitals won't perform surgery if that aren't more than reasonably sure they will have good results. Grants, insurance contracts and studies depend on that.

So I don't understand the economic gain. At least in the long run.