The West Indies Cardiac Surgery Registry: One Year Later

Rita Buckley

doi:10.1177/155989771212003

Summary

Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1940s; it accounts for a proportional mortality of 25% [Mungrue K et al. Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2011]. In 2011, the Caribbean Cardiac Society endorsed development of a regional West Indies Cardiac Surgery Registry (WICSR), and this article presents an update on the status of WICSR.

Interventional Techniques & Devices Cardiology Clinical Trials

Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in Trinidad and Tobago since the 1940s; it accounts for a proportional mortality of 25% [Mungrue K et al. Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2011] (Figure 1). In 2011, the Caribbean Cardiac Society (CCS) endorsed development of a regional West Indies Cardiac Surgery Registry (WICSR). Randolph Rawlins, MBBS, Doctors' Inn Research Group (DIRG), Diego Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, presented an update on the status of WICSR.

Figure 1.

Cardiovascular Disease Is the Leading Cause of Death in the Caribbean.

Reproduced with permission from R. Rawlins, MBBS.

WICSR is an online regional and multi-institutional cardiac surgical database serving all cardiac units in the Caribbean that perform open heart surgery. Its goals are to collect, collate, risk stratify, and analyze patient characteristics by categories of procedures performed. Its mission is to inform decision-making in a resource-limited environment.

Eight countries (Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Croix, and Trinidad and Tobago), working in collaboration with Imperial College, London, United Kingdom, are participating in the registry.

Since last year, a template comprising a list of variables has been recommended by regional partners. These variables have been collated by the DIRG for the CCS and are available for demonstration. The dataset is illustrative, user-friendly, and offers ease of data entry. Its various menu and submenu options can now be tested.

Dr. Rawlins said that the WICSR is a revolutionary approach to recording data among regional surgical centers and its utilization and growth should be encouraged. “The registry will benefit patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers, including surgeons and cardiologists. Information from this resource will be of value for research, training, and professional development,” he explained.

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