Expanding NHSN CPT codes improves capture of pediatric cardiac procedures for surgical site infection surveillance

Abstract

National Healthcare Safety Network cardiac Current Procedural Terminology codes incompletely capture Society of Thoracic Surgeons index procedures, especially in infants. Adding 62 pediatric codes increased validation-period sensitivity from 77.0% to 97.4%. Most additional captures were STS index procedures, although some non-index operations appeared potentially relevant to surgical site infection surveillance.