Quality control in medicine began in the 20th century. With the development of medicine there has been a simultaneous expansion of the health care system with a growing number of health care professionals and patients. The health care system presented with numerous errors that could be prevented with adequate organization and control measures. The implementation of the industrial concepts of quality management in the health system with the patient as the central reference point began soon afterwards. Cardiac surgery is a medical profession in which the outcome of the treatment is closely linked with the quality of health care and surgical performance and the results are visible immediately upon completion of the procedure. The parameters that are taken into account when assessing quality are therefore closely related to the preoperative condition of the patient and perioperative treatment outcome. It is necessary to collect patient data prospectively, regularly and in detail. A number of information technologies have been developed for this purpose solely. Databases are created through this process, the data is being analyzed with different statistical methods and displayed graphically. Statistical analysis is the groundwork of quality control and a forerunner of all other further actions for continuous quality improvement. It is necessary to properly interpret analyzed data because the consequences can be far-reaching. One of the most common measures to improve quality in the medical world are pay-for-performance programs providing financial support to institutions and public reporting. Quality management requires constant adjustment to new requirements in medicine, the health system and to patients.