Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35382846›Full record

ArticleJournal of cardiothoracic surgery2022

Fast tracking in cardiac surgery: is it safe?

Jeffrey B MacLeod, Kenneth D'Souza, Christie Aguiar, Craig D Brown, Zlatko Pozeg, Christopher White, Rakesh C Arora, Jean-François Légaré, Ansar Hassan

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of cardiothoracic surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Fast-Track Extubation After Cardiac Surgery: A Narrative Review.Journal of cardiovascular development and disease · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Jeffrey B MacLeodCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Kenneth D'SouzaCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Christie AguiarCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Craig D BrownCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Zlatko PozegCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Christopher WhiteCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Rakesh C AroraMax Rady College of Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
Jean-François LégaréCardiovascular Research New Brunswick, and Department of Cardiac Surgery, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB, Canada.
Ansar HassanDepartment of Cardiovascular Surgery, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine, USA. ansar.hassan@mainehealth.org.
Saint John Regional Hospital · CAMaine Medical Center · USSt. Boniface Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWhile fast track clinical pathways have been demonstrated to reduce resource utilization in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, it remains unclear as to whether they adversely affect post-operative outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of fast tracking on post-operative outcomes following cardiac surgery.

methodsIn a retrospective study, all patients undergoing first-time, on-pump, non-emergent coronary artery bypass grafting, valve, or coronary artery bypass grafting + valve at a single centre between 2010 and 2017 were included. Patients were considered to have been fast tracked if they were extubated and transferred from intensive care to a step-down unit on the same day as their procedure. The risk-adjusted effect of fast tracking on a 30-day composite of all-cause mortality, stroke, renal failure, infection, atrial fibrillation, and readmission to hospital was determined. Furthermore, propensity score matching was used to match fasting track patients in a 1-to-1 manner with their nearest "neighbor" in the control group and subsequently compared in terms of 30-day post-operative outcomes.

results3252 patients formed the final study population (fast track: n = 245; control: n = 3007). Patients who were fast tracked experienced reduced time to initial extubation (4.3 vs. 5.6 h, p < 0.0001) and lower median initial intensive care unit length of stay (7.8 vs. 20.4 h, p < 0.0001). Fast tracked patients experienced lower 30-day rates of the composite outcome (42.4% vs. 51.5%, p = 0.008). However, following propensity score matching, fast tracked patients experienced similar 30-day rates of the composite outcome as the control group (42.4% vs. 44.5%, p = 0.72). After risk adjustment using multivariable regression modeling, fast tracking was predictive of an improved 30-day composite outcome (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.57-0.98, p = 0.03).

conclusionFast track clinical pathways was associated with reduced intensive care unit, overall length of stay and similar 30-day post-operative outcomes. These results suggest that fast tracking appropriate patients may reduce resource utilization, while maintaining patient safety.

Indexed as

Cardiac Surgical ProceduresAirway ExtubationCoronary Artery BypassHumansLength of StayPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesOutcomesPatient safetyPostoperative care

Identifiers

PMID35382846
PMCPMC8983083
OpenAlexW4223571972

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.