Statistical analysis of invasive cardiology for Austria in 1992 as an approach to quality assessment

Quality Control in Interventional Cardiology requires perfect documentation. We, therefore, report a mutual controlling system, which has been initiated in Austria 3 years ago. An all round inquiry within all the 28 Austrian catheterization laboratories was successful with a feedback rate of 100%, controlled by visiting the centers, random tests, and several phone calls. This year was the first time that an entire European country followed the guidelines for statistical documentation that the European Society of Cardiology has suggested. Within the year 1992, 3,780 percutaneous coronary angioplasties were performed in Austria, which is 19.7% more, compared to the year before. At the same time 18,806 coronary angiographies, 102 percutaneous valvuloplasties, and 138 electrophysiological ablations took place. Austria reached 84% of the number of angiographies and 50% of the percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) numbers, the World Health Organization (WHO) has provided for a country of 7.82 million inhabitants. One hundred and fifty-two "new devices" (stent/n = 89, atherectomy/n = 44, laser/n = 6, etc.) were used during this year, which was 4.0% of all PTCA procedures. Angioscopy (n = 11) and intracoronary ultrasound (n = 82) accounted for another 2.5% of "new devices". Complication rate was 0.48% hospital deaths, 0.93% emergency bypass surgery, and 1.88% myocardial infarction in 3,780 PTCAs. The individual data of each center were treated confidentially and anonymously and the evaluated questionnaire was sent back to the respective center only, including an individual recommendation for quality improvement.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)