ECU Health’s East Carolina Heart Institute (ECHI) has received four 3-star ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), which is the highest rating awarded by the organization for adult cardiac surgery. The recognition is based on surgical outcomes recorded between January 2022 and December 2024, positioning ECU Health among leading cardiac surgery programs in the United States and Canada.
The STS star rating system uses data from its Adult Cardiac Surgery Database to assess clinical outcomes, risk-adjusted performance, and adherence to evidence-based care standards. The database includes more than 10 million surgical records from over 6,000 physicians and covers more than 95% of adult cardiac surgeries performed in the U.S. since its establishment in 1989.
“Achieving top-tier ratings across multiple procedure categories speaks not only to the expertise of our team members but also to our ability to bring high-quality cardiac care to the 1.4 million people who call eastern North Carolina home,” said Dr. Michael Bates, professor and chief for the division of cardiac surgery at ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. “These exceptional results support the trust our patients place in us and are a reflection of our commitment to earning that trust every case, every day.”
ECU Health received a 3-star rating for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), ranking it among the top 20 percent of programs nationwide. This marks five consecutive years that ECU Health has earned this distinction, with only about one-fifth of participants achieving this level.
In addition, ECHI was recognized for excellence in aortic valve replacement combined with CABG—a complex dual procedure—placing it within the top seven percent of centers nationwide. Only about five percent of participating institutions receive this rating for AVR + CABG procedures.
For mitral valve repair or replacement (MVRR), ECU Health improved from a previous two-star designation to earn its first three-star rating in this category. Only eleven percent of programs nationally achieve this level for MVRR.
A new multiprocedural composite score introduced by STS evaluates performance across various types of cardiac surgeries including CABG, AVR, MVRR, and their combinations. ECU Health received a three-star rating here as well, placing it among the top twenty-eight percent of participating programs.
ECHI offers comprehensive cardiovascular services using advanced technology and techniques covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment—including surgery—and rehabilitation for both adults and children with common or complex heart conditions.
“These recognitions affirm ECU Health’s commitment to creating a national model for academic rural health care – one that brings world-class, highly-specialized services directly to the communities that need them most,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. “Eastern North Carolina faces high rates of chronic heart disease, and our cardiac surgery program exemplifies how advanced care can be delivered close to home. We are proud to lead the way in transforming rural health through innovation and collaboration.”
