In 2008, Dr. Mark Morales and Dr. Mark Bielefeld performed 237 pediatric heart surgeries, with a mortality rate of 0.84%. According to the lastest mortality rate¹ for pediatric heart surgery in Texas, Dr. Mark Morales and Dr. Mark Bielelfeld were far below the state's rate of 4.4%. Adult surgical mortality rates can be found here.

MORTALITY BY RACHS SCORE in 2008

The following graphs show the mortality rate for Dr. Mark Morales and Dr. Mark Bielefeld for 2008. The higher RACHS level, the greater the degree of difficulty of the operation. Since Driscoll Children's Hospital deals with many patients that require advanced cardiovascular treatments, Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld are experienced with these surgeries that a child a may have to go through. Their success rate with these more difficult surgeries can be seen below and how they compare to the national expected mortality rate.

Mean RACHS Score

RACHS Category 1

RACHS Category 1 operations include Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (PAPVR) with an expected mortality rate of 0.4%. The amount of RACHS Category 1 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 43, and their actual mortality rate was at 0% with zero deaths. Their mortality rate on these operations was lower than the national expected mortality rate.

RACHS Category 2

RACHS Category 2 operations include Bidirectional Cavopulmonary Anastomosis (BDCPA), Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), and Ventricular Septal Defect with an expected mortality rate of 3.8%. The amount of RACHS Category 2 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 68, and their actual mortality rate was at 1.47% with one death. Their mortality rate on these operations was lower than the national expected mortality rate.

RACHS Category 3

RACHS Category 3 operations include Anomalous Left Coronary Artery (ALCAPA), Arterial Switch Operation (ASO), Atrioventricular Canal (AV Canal or AVC), Double Outlet Right Ventricle (DORV), Fontan, and Pulmonary Atresia with Ventricular Septal Defect (PA-VSD) with an expected mortality rate of 9.5%. The amount of RACHS Category 3 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 72, and their actual mortality rate was at 1.39% with one death. Their mortality rate on these operations was lower than the national expected mortality rate.

RACHS Category 4

RACHS Category 4 operations include Interrupted Aortic Arch (IAA), Konno Procedure, Rastelli Procedure, and Truncus Arteriosus (Truncus) with an expected mortality rate of 19.2%. The amount of RACHS Category 4 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 32, and their actual mortality rate was at 0.00% with zero deaths. Their mortality rate on these operations was lower than the national expected mortality rate.

RACHS Category 5**

RACHS Category 5 operations include Interrupted Aortic Arch with Truncus Arteriosus with an expected mortality rate of 19.2%. The amount of RACHS Category 5 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 1, and their actual mortality rate was at 0.00% with zero deaths. Their mortality rate on these operations was to par with the national expected mortality rate.

RACHS Category 6

RACHS Category 6 operations include Damus-Kaye-Stanzle (DKS), Norwood Procedure, and Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome(HLHS) with an expected mortality rate of 47.0%. The amount of RACHS Category 6 operations done by Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld in 2008 was 3, and their actual mortality rate was at 0.00% with zero deaths. Their mortality rate on these operations was far lower than the national expected mortality rate.

Pediatric Health Information System(PHIS) Data

The following graph shows the Pediatric Health Information System data of Dr. Morales and Dr. Bielefeld from 2002 to 2006. Their rate was lower for the years documented except one.

Numerator: Number of deaths with a code of pediatric heart surgery in any procedure field with ICD-9-CM diagnosis of congenital heart disease in any field.

Denominator: Discharges under age 18 with ICD-9-CM diagnosis for congenital heart disease in any field or non-specific heart surgery in any field with ICD-9-CM diagnosis of congenital heart disease in any field.