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Cardiac Surgery Programs  ·  Clinical Decision Support

The Case for Every Hospital with
a Cardiac Surgery Program

Aortic aneurysm patients in active surveillance represent a pipeline of potential elective surgical cases. The platform converts hesitant surveillance patients into surgical candidates — before a crisis forces the issue.

“32% cumulative risk over 10 years is more compelling than a verbal estimate.”

Patients who see their own trajectory engage in shared decision-making — and commit to timely intervention.

The Clinical & Financial Case

The Problem

Cardiac surgery is among the highest-revenue service lines in any hospital — but only when cases are planned. Most aortic dissections happen in patients who already knew they had an aneurysm but hadn't yet committed to repair. Emergency dissection revenue is DRG-capped, often a loss. The OR disruption cost is real.

The Solution

Aortic Sciences gives physicians a tool that has never existed at the point of care: a personalized, year-by-year risk projection grounded in the same evidence base that informs ACC/AHA surgical guidelines. Patients who see their own trajectory engage in shared decision-making — and commit to timely intervention.

Why Every Cardiac Surgery Program Needs the Platform

01
Convert Referrals into Surgical Candidates
  • Year-by-year projections make the cost of inaction personal — driving shared decision-making at the right moment.
  • Community cardiologists gain a standardized referral tool they cannot build independently, strengthening referral loyalty.
  • Earlier elective commitment means more scheduled cases, better OR utilization, fewer emergencies.
02
Save Lives — Close the Gap Between Surveillance and Surgery
  • Most dissections happen in patients who already knew they had an aneurysm but hadn't yet committed to repair.
  • Year-by-year projections shorten the gap between "we should think about surgery" and "let's schedule it."
  • Every dissection prevented is a life saved — and an unplanned crisis converted into a planned case.
03
Third-Party Validated, Brandable for Your Institution
  • Independent methodology — the same evidence base whether seen at your center or a competitor's.
  • Reports can be co-branded for your hospital while remaining third-party validated.
  • Patients carry their report to second opinions — keeping your program visible across the care continuum.
04
Simple to Implement — No EMR Required
  • De-identified data only. No patient names or dates of birth. HIPAA Safe Harbor compliant.
  • Secure web portal — any device, no installation, no IT project. Implementation is a login, not a project.
  • 10 Medical Professional user licenses included. Users onboarded in minutes.
05
Audit Capability & Documented Counseling
  • Every report stored permanently — exportable audit log with 25+ data fields for compliance and QA.
  • Department heads gain full visibility into aortic risk counseling activity across the physician roster.
  • Timestamped PDF reports document that personalized risk counseling occurred — a stronger medico-legal record than a verbal discussion alone.
06
Built on the Same Evidence as ACC/AHA Guidelines
  • Elefteriades/Davies 2002 natural history data, IRAD registry (7,300+ cases), Hagan JAMA 2000, Pape JACC 2007.
  • ACC/AHA 2022 guideline thresholds built in — Class I, IIa, IIb surgical recommendations surfaced automatically.
  • Methodology reviewed in collaboration with leading aortic surgery programs.

Emergency vs. Elective — The Hospital Comparison

Emergency Dissection Elective Repair
Operative mortality 21–25% ~1–2%
Revenue to hospital DRG-capped, often a loss Planned, fully reimbursed
OR scheduling impact Disrupts elective schedule Fills elective schedule
Patient experience Crisis-driven, high trauma Shared decision, prepared

Sources: AATS 2023; Mody et al. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2014; ACC/AHA 2022 Valvular Heart Disease Guidelines.

Ready to bring standardized aortic risk counseling to your cardiac surgery program?