Multivalvular Endocarditis: A Different Approach.

Active infective endocarditis (IE) with multivalvular involvement, the most severe form of IE, requires a demanding clinical and surgical management. Clinical guidelines describe the operative approach to multivalvular involvement as challenging with subpar postoperative outcomes. Quadruple valvular IE remains a rare clinical phenomenon, with high mortality rates and poor surgical outcomes.

Successful linking of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database to Social Security data to examine the accuracy of Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality data.

Objectives: The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database has been linked to the Social Security Death Master File to verify "life status" and evaluate long-term surgical outcomes. The objective of this study is explore practical applications of the linkage of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database to Social Securtiy Death Master File, including the use of the Social Securtiy Death Master File to examine the accuracy of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons 30-day mortality data.

Methods: On January 1, 2008, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database began collecting Social Security numbers in its new version 2.