Table 1.
Sample surgical quality measures based on descending necrotizing mediastinitis class/stage
| Class/stage | Procedures |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold standard | Acceptable alternate | Acceptable alternate | Acceptable alternate | Borderline/suboptimal | |
| Class/stage I | Cervicotomy (Bilateral) | Cervicotomy (Unilateral) | None | None | Percutaneous image-guided drainage |
| Class/stage II | |||||
| IIA | Cervicotomy (bilateral) with Subxiphoid debridement/drainage | Cervicotomy (unilateral) with Subxiphoid debridement/drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with Bilateral thoracoscopic drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with Bilateral thoracotomy with drainage | Cervicotomy alone |
| IIB Alternate: IIA/P | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with bilateral thoracotomy and drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with bilateral thoracoscopic drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with unilateral thoracotomy and drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with unilateral thoracoscopic drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with simple uni- or bilateral tube thoracostomy |
| IIC Alternate: IIP | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with bilateral thoracotomy and drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with bilateral thoracoscopic drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with unilateral thoracotomy and drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with unilateral thoracoscopic drainage | Cervicotomy (uni- or bilateral) with simple uni- or bilateral tube thoracostomy and other lower mediastinal drain(s) |