Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair Quality Measures

Quality measures, also referred to as quality indicators, are used to report how well an organization provides care for patients undergoing certain procedures/operations or certain medical conditions. They are used to evaluate services, outcomes, and complications.

Research has been conducted for several years on both a national and regional level to assess many surgical quality care indicators. The Leapfrog Group, a national organization devoted to improving patient safety, reported in 2001 that outcomes for AAA repair were better at institutions that perform greater than 30 repairs per year.

In 2003, The Leapfrog Group revised that recommendation to greater than 50 per year, based on national volume.

Outcomes research on AAA repair in the state of New Jersey by the Division of Vascular Surgery at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has also confirmed this national recommendation. In addition, our own outcomes research has also suggested that infectious complications, length of stay, and mortality rates are all lower in high volume centers.

Since the inception of the national guidelines, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital has consistently exceeded the suggested threshold for excellence with respect to volume. Since 2004, more than 100 AAA repairs have been performed yearly at the institution, and the volume is increasing every year.

Currently, greater than 250 aneurysm procedures are performed yearly by our surgical team, with a significant portion of these procedures being minimally-invasive repairs. New research is emerging to suggest that emergency aneurysm repair for patients with ruptured or leaking AAAs should be performed, if possible, via an endovascular approach. This requires that a sufficient number of devices be readily available for a wide variety of aneurysms. We are one of only a few hospitals in New Jersey that can provide this treatment option.

All surgeons that perform aneurysm repairs at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital are Fellowship Trained in either Vascular or Cardiothoracic Surgery, Board-Certified, and have received additional advanced specialty training in endovascular aneurysm repair.

For additional information on quality standards, please visit the following websites:

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