New STS ACSD risk models have generally excellent calibration and discrimination and are well suited for risk adjustment of STS performance metrics.

Through nearly 3 decades of iterative refinement, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database has evolved into one of the most comprehensive and respected clinical data registries in health care. It is a widely acknowledged exemplar for accurately benchmarking risk-adjusted outcomes in cardiac surgery and underpins all quality measurement and improvement activities of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. This is the latest in a series of annual reports that outlines current national aggregate outcomes and volume trends in cardiac surgery and summarizes database-related work in quality measurement and performance improvement during the past year.

Completely new STS ACSD risk models have been developed based on contemporary patient data; their performance is superior to that of previous STS ACSD models.