Current Practices for Cohort Reporting and Statistical Adjustment in Studies From The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database.
Review
Overview
abstract
BACKGROUND: Current reporting and statistical adjustment practices of studies based on The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD) have not been described. METHODS: A review identified all published studies based on STS ACSD data from January 2016 to May 2024. Data were extracted by 2 authors and independently checked by the senior author. RESULTS: A total of 134 studies were included. There were 46 (34.3%) studies on coronary artery bypass grafting, 22 (16.4%) on mitral valve surgery, 16 (11.9%) on aortic surgery, 14 (10.4%) on surgical aortic valve replacement, 3 (2.2%) on tricuspid valve surgery, 18 (13.4%) on combined procedures, and 15 (11.2%) on other interventions; 59 (44.0%) studies used the Participant User File (PUF) program, with a significant increase over time (Ptrend = .005). Of the 1239 variables available in the STS ACSD (version 4.20.2), 136 (11.0%; median, 21 variables per study; interquartile range [IQR], 16-25) were used to describe the baseline characteristics of the patients and 191 (15.4%; median, 22 variables per study; IQR, 17-33) for statistical adjustment; 121 studies (90.3%) performed statistical adjustment, with multivariable regression used in most (80 [66.1%]). PUF manuscripts had significantly more junior first authors (20.3% vs 1.3%; P = .001) and were published in higher impact journals (median impact factor, 4.90 [IQR, 3.70-9.15] vs 3.90 [IQR, 3.60-4.70]; P = .002) compared with non-PUF manuscripts. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis provides data that may inform efforts to standardize reporting and analytic practices in studies based on the STS ACSD.
