Programs & Data Access

Data are available to physicians, researchers, and the health care industry to use for quality improvement initiatives, comparative effectiveness research, clinical trials, post-market surveillance, and basic and translational research.

Information from the STS National Database will allow you to:

  • Use extensive and accurate real-world cardiothoracic surgery data to address your research questions
  • Investigate ways to enhance quality of care and improve patient outcomes
  • Spot market trends and new product opportunities
  • Save time and money on clinical trials and post-market surveillance

Data are available through several programs: 

STS-Sponsored Research

STS sponsors and funds research through a well-established program administered by the STS Access & Publications (A&P) Task Force. The A&P Research Program is for STS National Database participants conducting research using data from one of the four Database components: Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), General Thoracic Surgery (GTSD), and Intermacs/Pedimacs. 

Participant User File Research Program

The STS Participant User File (PUF) Research Program allows analysis of national-scale de-identified data from the STS National Database at investigators’ institutions. The PUF Program was designed primarily as an option for investigators to pose research questions, quickly obtain quality data, analyze these data themselves, receive feedback, and develop their efforts into abstracts and manuscripts.

Externally Funded Research Program

The Externally Funded Research Program, overseen by the Task Force on Funded Research (TFR), is one of the Society’s three major avenues for investigators to conduct research using data from an STS National Database component registry. The TFR Program facilitates linkage of STS National Database data to an external source of data (e.g. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services), assists with applications to obtain extramural funding, and more.

Minor Data Requests - for Research

Minor data requests (MDRs) are intended to assist investigators as they prepare for full scientific proposal submissions by testing the feasibility of their hypotheses. Results from research MDRs may not be used for external scientific presentation or publication.