Related Experiment Videos
[Cardiac interventions in Switzerland]
B Meier1, H Pfisterer, O Bertel
1Centre de cardiologie, Hôpital cantonal universitaire, Genève 4.
Insights
In 1990, Swiss hospitals saw a 20% rise in percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) procedures, indicating a shift towards less invasive cardiac interventions. This trend suggests earlier diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
- Cardiac Surgery
Context:
- The Swiss Society of Cardiology's working group on PTCA and Fibrinolysis surveyed cardiac interventions in Switzerland from 1990-1991.
- Data includes fibrinolysis for acute myocardial infarction, cardiac catheter interventions, and heart operations.
Purpose:
- To report the activity of the working group PTCA and Fibrinolysis.
- To survey cardiac interventions in Switzerland during 1990.
Summary:
- Fibrinolysis was used in 29% of 6096 acute myocardial infarction patients.
- Coronary angiograms increased by 10% to 12,501; PTCA increased by 20% to 2323.
- PTCA is increasingly dominating bypass surgery in university hospitals, with new techniques like stenting also being employed.
Impact:
- Increased PTCA activity correlates with earlier diagnosis of single-vessel coronary disease.
- The data highlights a growing trend towards less invasive procedures like PTCA over traditional bypass surgery.
- The study provides insights into the evolving landscape of cardiac interventions in Switzerland.
Abstract:
The activity of the working group PTCA and Fibrinolysis of the Swiss Society of Cardiology from spring 1990 to spring 1991 is reported. It included a survey of fibrinolysis for acute myocardial infarction, therapeutic cardiac catheter interventions, and heart operations in Switzerland in 1990. Of the 6096 patients admitted for acute infarction to the participating hospitals, 1768 (29%) underwent fibrinolysis. The number of coronary angiograms performed was 12,501, a 10% increase over the previous year. One third were performed in private hospitals. The number of coronary angioplasties (PTCA) was 2323, a 20% increase. Every fourth PTCA was done in a private hospital. The percentage of PTCAs to coronary angiograms varied from 3 to 35%. There was no correlation to the percentage of multivessel PTCAs. This indicates earlier diagnosis of coronary disease (single vessel disease) in hospitals with increased PTCA activity. The number of bypass operations was 3471. Although the overall figure was higher than that of PTCA, this ratio was balanced or inversed in 3 university hospitals. As for new techniques of interventional cardiology, 24 stents were implanted and 10 atherectomies performed. Moreover, there were 39 valvuloplasties (8 aortic, 20 mitral, and 11 pulmonary), 5 closures of the patent ductus arteriosus, and 24 interventions for arrhythmia (pacemakers excluded). The noncoronary heart operations comprised 694 aortic, 292 mitral, and 100 aorto-mitral operations, 523 operations for congenital or acquired defects, 38 operations for arrhythmia, and 42 transplantations. The development of surgical and nonsurgical cardiac interventions in recent years is characterized by increasing dominance of PTCA in comparison to bypass surgery in most university hospitals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)