Society of Thoracic Surgeons provides on-the-go risk evaluations with new mobile app
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) has developed a new mobile app that provides surgeons, cardiologists and other clinicians with on-the-go access to the group’s advanced risk calculators.
The STS Risk Calculator App uses current data from the STS National Database to deliver real-time risk assessments for any heart patient. Care teams have been using STS risk calculators to guide treatment strategies for years, and researchers often include mean STS risk scores to provide readers with easy-to-understand context.
The STS has built risk calculators for patients being considered for multi-valve surgery, surgical aortic valve replacement after transcatheter aortic valve replacement, isolated tricuspid vavle surgery and a variety of other cardiac operations. Each calculator anticipates a patient’s risk of mortality, stroke or renal failure and predicts their length of stay.
Additional calculators have been developed for thoracic surgeries such as esophagectomy and lung cancer resection.
“Having immediate access to reliable, evidence-based risk assessment tools is critical for improving surgical decision-making and patient outcomes,” STS President Joseph F. Sabik III, MD, a veteran cardiac surgeon with the University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute, said in a statement. “This mobile application ensures that up-to-date, risk-adjusted data is always within reach, bringing the power of the STS National Database to surgeons and care teams wherever and whenever they need it.”
The new mobile app is available on both iOS and Android devices. Click here for additional details.
A busy year for STS
In April, STS published a new risk calculator focused on ascending aorta and aortic root surgeries.
“This risk calculator fills a critical gap for cardiothoracic surgeons treating complex aortic pathology,” Sabik said at the time. “It empowers surgeons to have more transparent, productive conversations with patients and families about surgical risks and benefits, leading to better-informed decision making.”
Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.