Kettering Health Dayton has earned a three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. This distinguished rating places Kettering Health Dayton in the highest category of quality among the elite in both the United States and Canada for heart bypass surgery.

When an artery in the heart becomes blocked, a coronary artery bypass graft may be necessary to reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke. During the open-heart procedure, surgeons take a healthy blood vessel from somewhere else in the patient’s body and graft one end of the blood vessel above and another below the blockage. This allows blood to flow around the blockage. 

The STS star rating is one of the most highly regarded measures of quality in health care. Only about 20% of participants receive a three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery from the STS. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery,” says Dr. David M. Shahain, chair of the STS Task Force on Quality Measurement, “and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,600 surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest.