[Spanish Registry of the Section of Hemodynamic and Interventional Cardiology Activity for 1999]

The results of the Spanish Registry of Hemodynamic and Interventional Cardiology in 1999 are presented. The activity of 90 centers representing all the cardiac catheterization laboratories in Spain is reported, with 83 centers performing mainly adult cardiac catheterization and 7 centers exclusively carrying out pediatric cardiac catheterization. In 1999, a total of 82,805 diagnostic catheterization procedures, 79% being coronary angiographies (65,234; 1,637 per million inhabitants), were performed, representing a total increase of 11.4% compared to 1998. Compared to 1998, coronary intervention increased by 14.2%, with a total number of 23,010 procedures. The ratio of coronary interventions per million inhabitants was 590. Success rates for coronary interventions (94%) and complications (2.2%) were similar to those registered in previous years, and in 12.4% of the cases IIb-IIIa glycoprotein inhibitors were used. Ten point two per cent of the procedures were performed to treat acute myocardial infarction. Coronary stenting is the main device for coronary intervention. In 1999, coronary stents were used in 17,783 cases (23% increase compared to 1998), representing 77.3% of all coronary revascularization procedures. A total of 22,946 prostheses were implanted, 87% electively and 21.4% as a primary stenting procedure, with a low rate of complications (0.85% subacute closure, 1.95% myocardial infarction and 0.9% mortality). Compared to 1998, both directional coronary atherectomy (52 procedures) and rotational atherectomy (473 procedures) showed a slight decrease.A slight increase (4% compared to 1998) was reported in adult valvuloplasties (525 vs 505)while pediatric interventional procedures increased by 21% (678 vs 557 procedures) compared to 1998. In conclusion, we would like to underline the high degree of laboratory participation in the Registry, and despite the increase in activity, the current rates remain lower than European figures.