Nuss procedure quality and outcomes





Age at surgery (2014-2019)

15.3 years median [Interquartile range 14.2 years, 16.3 years]

The median is a kind of average value and the range shows that 50% of our patients fall between 14.2 and 16.3 years of age when they come to surgery. Although that is our average, we do consult on much younger patients and operate even on adults.

Haller index (2014-2019)

4.7 median [Interquartile range 3.7, 6.1]

The Haller index is a measure of the amount of indentation in the chest wall. A typically developed chest has a measurement of 2 or less on the Haller index. Most insurance companies use the Haller index threshold of 3.2 or more as approval for surgery, with other testing sometimes required.

Total operating room stay in minutes (2014-2019)

172 min median [Interquartile range 150 min, 192 min]

The median is a kind of average value and the range shows that 50% of our cases have time in the OR suite falling between 2.5 hours and .2 and 3 hours 12 minutes.



Postoperative length of stay in days (2014-2019):

The average length of stay has decreased in recent years, and now sits between 2 to 4 days in the hospital.


Total postoperative inpatient morphine milligram equivalents (2014-2019):

The average dosage of morphine has declined substantially as well to 150-260 milligrams (Verify those major stats.).


Total discharge morphine milligrams equivalents (2014-2019):

The discharge morphine equivalents needed has declined substantially as well and hovers just under 250 milligrams.


Readmission within 30 days (2014-2019): 11%

Only 5.6% are readmitted. Of those readmitted, 33.3% are due to Surgical Site Infection(SSI)and 66.7% are due to bar movement.

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Pectus chest wall deformity video