The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence-Based Surgery has developed evidence-based guidelines to provide practical assistance to the STS membership. Each guideline topic was thoroughly reviewed, and the conclusions and recommendations are based on an exhaustive review of scientific evidence published in the medical literature.


Adult Cardiac Surgery

Antibiotic Prophylaxis

Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Cardiac Surgery, Part I: Duration
A report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery
Fred H. Edwards, MD, Richard M. Engelman, MD, Peter Houck, MD, David M. Shahian, MD and Charles R. Bridges, MD

© 2005 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons


Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Cardiac Surgery, Part II: Antibiotic Choice
A report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Medicine
Richard Engelman, MD, David Shahian, MD, Richard Shemin, MD, T. Sloane Guy, MD, Dale Bratzler, DO, MPH, Fred Edwards, MD, Marshall Jacobs, MD, Hiran Fernando, MD, Charles Bridges, MD, ScD

© 2007 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Anticoagulation During Cardiopulmonary Bypass

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and The American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology: Clinical Practice Guidelines—Anticoagulation During Cardiopulmonary Bypass
Linda Shore-Lesserson, MD, Robert A. Baker, PhD, CCP, Victor A. Ferraris, MD, PhD, Philip E. Greilich, MD, David Fitzgerald, MPH, CCP, Philip Roman, MD, MPH, and John W. Hammon, MD

© 2018 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, and The American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology

Aortic Valve and Ascending Aorta

Aortic Valve and Ascending Aorta Guidelines for Management and Quality Measures
A Special Report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Aortic Valve +/- Ascending Aorta Guidelines Task Force
Lars G. Svensson, MD, PhD (Chair), David H. Adams, MD (Vice-Chair), Robert O. Bonow, MD (Vice-Chair), Nicholas T. Kouchoukos, MD (Vice-Chair), D. Craig Miller, MD (Vice-Chair), Patrick T. O’Gara, MD (Vice-Chair), David M. Shahian, MD (Vice-Chair), Hartzell V. Schaff, MD (Vice-Chair), Cary W. Akins, MD, Joseph Bavaria, MD, Eugene H. Blackstone, MD, Tirone E. David, MD, Nimesh D. Desai, MD, PhD, Todd M. Dewey, MD, Richard S. D’Agostino, MD, Thomas G. Gleason, MD, Katherine B. Harrington, MD, Susheel Kodali, MD, Samir Kapadia, MD, Martin B. Leon, MD, Brian Lima, MD, Bruce W. Lytle, MD, Michael J. Mack, MD, T. Brett Reece, MD, George R. Reiss, MD, Eric Roselli, MD, Craig R. Smith, MD, Vinod H. Thourani, MD, E. Murat Tuzcu, MD, John Webb, MD, and Mathew R. Williams, MD

© 2013 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Arterial Conduits for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Clinical Practice Guidelines on Arterial Conduits for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting
 (Supplemental Materials)
Gabriel S. Aldea, MD, Faisal G. Bakaeen, MD, Jay Pal, MD, PhD, Stephen Fremes, MD, Stuart J. Head, MD, PhD, Joseph Sabik, MD, Todd Rosengart, MD, A. Pieter Kappetein, MD, PhD, Vinod H. Thourani, MD, Scott Firestone, MS, and John D. Mitchell, MD

© 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Endovascular Stent-Grafting Credentialing

STS/AATS Position Statement: Guidelines for Credentialing of Practitioners to Perform Endovascular Stent-Grafting of the Thoracic Aorta
Nicholas T. Kouchoukos, MD (Chair), Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, Joseph S. Coselli, MD, Ralph De La Torre, MD, John S. Ikonomidis, MD, Riyad C. Karmy-Jones, MD, Robert Scott Mitchell, MD, Richard J. Shemin, MD, David Spielvogel, MD, Lars G. Svensson, MD, and Grayson H. Wheatley, MD

© 2006 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery

Patient Blood Management

STS/SCA/AmSECT/SABM Update to the Clinical Practice Guidelines on Patient Blood Management
Pierre Tibi, MD, R. Scott McClure, MD, FRCSC, Jiapeng Huang, MD, Robert A. Baker, PhD, CCP, David Fitzgerald, DHA, CCP, C. David Mazer, MD, Marc Stone, MD, Danny Chu, MD, Alfred H. Stammers, MSA, CCP Emeritus, Tim Dickinson, CCP, Linda Shore-Lesserson, MD, Victor Ferraris, MD, Scott Firestone, MS, Kalie Kissoon, and Susan Moffatt-Bruce, MD, FRCSC

© 2021 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology, and Elsevier Inc.

Reporting Mortality and Morbidity After Cardiac Valve Interventions

Joint STS/AATS/EACTS Report: Guidelines for Reporting Mortality and Morbidity After Cardiac Valve Interventions
Cary W. Akins, MD, D. Craig Miller, MD, Marko I. Turina, MD, Nicholas T. Kouchoukos, MD, Eugene H. Blackstone, MD, Gary L. Grunkemeier, PhD, Johanna J. M. Takkenberg, MD, PhD, Tirone E. David, MD, Eric G. Butchart, MD, David H. Adams, MD, David M. Shahian, MD, Siegfried Hagl, MD, John E. Mayer, Jr., MD, and Bruce W. Lytle, MD

© 2008 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, The American Association for Thoracic Surgery, and The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery

Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2017 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
(Supplemental Materials)
Vinay Badhwar, MD, J. Scott Rankin, MD, Ralph J. Damiano, Jr, MD, A. Marc Gillinov, MD, Faisal G. Bakaeen, MD, James R. Edgerton, MD, Jonathan M. Philpott, MD, Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, Steven F. Bolling, MD, Harold G. Roberts, MD, Vinod H. Thourani, MD, Rakesh M. Suri, MD, DPhil, Richard J. Shemin, MD, Scott Firestone, MS, and Niv Ad, MD

© 2017 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons


Guidelines for Reporting Data and Outcomes for the Surgical Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation
A report from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Workforce on Evidence Based Surgery
Richard J. Shemin, MD, James L. Cox, MD, A. Marc Gillinov, MD, Eugene H. Blackstone, MD, Charles R. Bridges, MD

© 2007 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Transesophageal Echocardiography

Guidelines for the Use of Transesophageal Echocardiography to Assist with Surgical Decision-Making in the Operating Room: A Surgery-Based Approach From the American Society of Echocardiography in Collaboration with the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Alina Nicoara, Chair, MD, FASE, Nikolaos Skubas, Co-Chair, MD, DSc, FASE, Niv Ad, MD, Alan Finley, MD, FASE, Rebecca T. Hahn, MD, FASE, Feroze Mahmood, MD, FASE, Sunil Mankad, MD, FASE, Charles B. Nyman, MBBCh, Francis Pagani, MD, PhD, Thomas R. Porter, MD, FASE, Kent Rehfeldt, MD, FASE, Marc Stone, MD, Bradley Taylor, MD, MPH, Annette Vegas, MD, FRCPC, FASE, Karen G. Zimmerman, BS, ACS, RDCS (AE, PE), RVT, FASE, William A. Zoghbi, MD, FASE, and Madhav Swaminathan, MD, FASE

© 2020 by the American Society of Echocardiography

Type B Aortic Dissections

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American Association for Thoracic Surgery Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Type B Aortic Dissection 

Thomas E. MacGillivray, MD, Thomas G. Gleason, MD, Himanshu J. Patel, MD, Gabriel S. Aldea, MD, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, Thomas M. Beaver, MD, Edward P. Chen, MD, Martin Czerny, MD, Anthony L. Estrera, MD, Scott Firestone, MS, Michael P. Fischbein, MD, G. Chad Hughes, MD, Dawn S. Hui, MD, Kalie Kissoon, Jennifer S. Lawton, MD, Davide Pacini, MD, T. Brett Reece, MD, Eric E. Roselli, MD, and John Stulak, MD

© 2021 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery


General Thoracic Surgery

Multimodality Treatment for Cancer of the Esophagus and Gastroesophageal Junction

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Practice Guidelines on the Role of Multimodality Treatment for Cancer of the Esophagus and Gastroesophageal Junction
Alex G. Little, MD, Antoon E. Lerut, MD, PhD, David H. Harpole, MD, Wayne L. Hofstetter, MD, John D. Mitchell, MD, Nasser K. Altorki, MD, and Mark J. Krasna, MD

© 2014 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Malignant Pleural Effusions

Management of Malignant Pleural Effusions: An Official ATS/STS/STR Clinical Practice Guideline

David J. Feller-Kopman*, Chakravarthy B. Reddy*, Malcolm M. DeCamp, Rebecca L. Diekemper, Michael K. Gould, Travis Henry, Narayan P. Iyer, Y. C. Gary Lee, Sandra Z. Lewis, Nick A. Maskell, Najib M. Rahman, Daniel H. Sterman, Momen M. Wahidi, and Alex A. Balekian; on behalf of the American Thoracic Society, Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Society of Thoracic Radiology

© 2018 by the American Thoracic Society, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and the Society of Thoracic Radiology 

Prophylaxis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation Associated With General Thoracic Surgery

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons Practice Guideline on the Prophylaxis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation Associated With General Thoracic Surgery: Executive Summary
Hiran C. Fernando, MD, Michael T. Jaklitsch, MD, Garrett L. Walsh, MD, James E. Tisdale, PhD, Charles D. Bridges, MD, ScD, John D. Mitchell, MD, and Joseph B. Shrager, MD

© 2011 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons


Congenital Heart Surgery

Protecting the Infant Brain During Cardiac Surgery

Protecting the Infant Brain During Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review
Jennifer C. Hirsch, MD, MS, Marshall L. Jacobs, MD, Dean Andropoulos, MD, Erle H. Austin, MD, Jeffrey P. Jacobs, MD, Daniel J. Licht, MD, Frank Pigula, MD, James S. Tweddell, MD, and J. William Gaynor, MD

© 2012 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons


 

STS Guideline Policies

 

STS Clinical Practice Guidelines are intended to assist physicians and other health care providers in clinical decision-making by describing a range of generally acceptable approaches for the diagnosis, management, or prevention of specific diseases or conditions. These guidelines should not be considered inclusive of all proper methods of care or exclusive of other methods of care reasonably directed at obtaining the same results. Moreover, these guidelines are subject to change over time, without notice. The ultimate judgment regarding the care of a particular patient must be made by the physician in light of the individual circumstances presented by the patient.

STS Systematic Reviews are intended to compliment clinical practice guidelines in assisting physicians and other health care providers in clinical decision-making by evaluating the strength of evidence regarding particular treatments, and determining whether the level is sufficient enough to make recommendations for clinical practice. These reviews should not be considered inclusive of all proper methods of care or exclusive of other methods of care reasonably directed at obtaining the same results. Moreover, these reviews are subject to change over time, without notice. The ultimate judgment regarding the care of a particular patient must be made by the physician in light of the individual circumstances presented by the patient.

STS Clinical Practice Guidelines may be printed or downloaded for individual and personal use only. Guidelines may not be reproduced in any print or electronic publication or offered for sale or distribution in any format without the express written permission of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.