LEWISTON — A national professional organization has awarded its highest rating to the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute’s cardiac surgery program.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has awarded a three-star rating to CMHVI for the quality of its heart surgery program for 2013. The STS comprehensive rating system compares the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals nationwide. The three-star rating denotes the highest category of quality.

The data in the STS analysis includes avoidance of mortality, avoidance of major complications, use of arteries as bypass grafts and the administration of all appropriate pre- and post-operative medications.