Endocarditis is substantially more common in heart transplant recipients than in general populations. Frequent central venous catheter access and multiple endomyocardial biopsies appear to predispose to infection. Aspergillus is a common pathogen and endocarditis follows infection elsewhere. The prognosis of post-cardiac transplant endocarditis is poor.

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The reported morbidity scores need to be tested on larger series and in different institutions. The introduced morbidity score has the potential to quantify postoperative complications accurately. Its estimation over time can facilitate the assessment of quality of congenital heart surgery. It will allow comparison of morbidity outcomes across institutions with different case-mixes.

Quantification of morbidity indicates the length of ICU stay and the duration of mechanical ventilation as the best surrogates for morbidity. Such benchmarking and scoring of observed postoperative complications paves the way for an accurate assessment and improvement of quality care in congenital heart surgery.

No abstract