Abstract:
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The variable life-adjusted display (VLAD) was proposed as a simple graphical display for monitoring the results of cardiac surgery, adjusted by the risks of patients. The VLAD is now popularly used all over the world. The VLAD assumes binary outcomes: death within 30 days of an operation or survival beyond 30 days. This naive classification of outcomes means that for example, a fully recovered patient is considered the same outcome as another patient who is bedridden for life, and this results in a great loss of information and a VLAD that does not reveal the true results. We develop a VLAD that is based on three or more outcomes and this refined procedure will reveal more accurately and fairly the results of cardiac surgeries. This VLAD will be referred to as the new VLAD.
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