Practice Patterns in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Presurgical Conferences: A Multicenter Survey Study

Authors

• Britney Reed
• Poonam Puranik
• Andrew Rodenbarger
• Mira Trivedi
• Dilachew A Adebo
• Gary Beasley
• Louis Bezold
• M Jay Campbell
• Michael R Carr
• Joshua Daily
• Mark DeBrunner
• Erica Del Grippo
• Carlen G Fifer
• Timothy M Hoffman
• Susan R Hupp
• Joshua D Kurtz
• Gira Morchi
• Carl Owada
• Renuka Peterson
• Michael D Puchalski
• Ryan A Romans
• Arwa Saidi
• Rajesh U Shenoy
• Anoop K Singh
• Robert D Tunks
• Thomas M Yohannan
• Carolyn M Wilhelm
• Jyoti K Patel

Language

English

Publication Date

6-1-2026

Journal

Pediatric Cardiology

DOI

10.1007/s00246-025-04008-y

PMID

40879673

PMCID

PMC13144215

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

8-29-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Pediatric cardiothoracic surgeries are high-stakes, complex procedures, typically undergoing prior review at multidisciplinary conferences. This study evaluates practice patterns of conferences throughout the United States (US). Surveys were distributed to fellowship program directors or division directors in 124 US pediatric cardiology centers seeking information on conference logistics, fellow roles, quality improvement (QI), and satisfaction. All 47 responding centers (response rate 38%) conduct presurgical conferences, mostly on a weekly basis (92%) lasting 60-120 min (79%). The conferences are solely virtual (19%) or hybrid (81%). High-volume centers (> 300 surgical cases/year) are more likely to hold multiple conferences (13/20 vs 7/27, p <  0.01) and less likely to designate a moderator (11/20 vs 22/26, p = 0.027). Categorical pediatric cardiology fellows at 33 centers present clinical data (97%), echocardiograms (85%), catheterizations (82%), and cross-sectional imaging (39%), typically beginning in their first year. Most centers report that minor (98%) or major changes (51%) are made to patient management at least "sometimes." Responders rate conferences as very important (median 10/10 on a 10-point Likert scale, IQR 9-10), but satisfaction is more modest (median 7/10, IQR 7-9). Only 17% of centers have a formal QI process. Comments from 42 centers reveal positive themes of collaboration (68%) but also concerns about lengthy (30%) or inefficient (36%) discussion. Conclusions: This survey highlights common practices for pediatric cardiothoracic presurgical conferences. Conferences are collaborative and seen as highly impactful. However, satisfaction varies, and QI efforts are infrequent. These findings highlight opportunities for process improvement and standardization.

Keywords

Humans, United States, Congresses as Topic, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Surveys and Questionnaires, Pediatrics, Cardiology, Quality Improvement, Child, Cardiac Surgical Procedures, Preoperative Care, Pediatric cardiology, Multidisciplinary conference, Cardiac surgery, Congenital heart disease

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Reed, Britney; Puranik, Poonam; Rodenbarger, Andrew; et al., "Practice Patterns in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Presurgical Conferences: A Multicenter Survey Study" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 4138.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthmed_docs/4138