Electronic data processing: the pathway to automated quality control of cardiopulmonary bypass

Abstract

Electronic data collection during cardiac surgery creates an enormous data source that has many potential applications. After the introduction of the Stockert Data Management System (DMS; Munich, Germany) to our perfusion practice, we recognized that the data could be used for the purpose of quality control (QC). Our aim was to create an automated technique of data analysis and feedback for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) procedures. Using visual basic programming, we created a process by which data from the DMS is analyzed and processed in a Microsoft Access database after a CPB procedure. The processing is designed to transfer the collected data to a research database and create a number of CPB quality indicator (QI) parameters, such as mean arterial pressure being less than 40 mmHg for more than 5 minutes or a venous saturation of less than 60% for more than 5 minutes. In the event of QI parameter detection, a QC report is generated and e-mailed to the senior perfusionist and the perfusionist performing the procedure. The introduction of electronic data collection and subsequent development of electronic data processing techniques has enabled us to transfer the data into a readily accessible database and create a data set of perfusion variables and quality indicators for CPB procedures. This data set may be used for immediate automated QC feedback after CPB procedures and direction of performance improvement initiatives through retrospective or prospective data analysis as part of a continuous quality improvement process.

Conflict of interest statement

The senior author has stated that authors have reported no material, financial or other relationship with any healthcare-related business or other entity whose products or services are discussed in this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.

Integration of data communication—peripheral monitoring devices are connected to the serial interface of the S3 heart-lung machine, and the integrated data are collected by the DMS software on the laptop computer.

Figure 2.

Perfusion quality control report.