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Denmark: coronary and structural heart interventions from 2010 to 2015
Hans-Henrik Tilsted1, Ole Ahlehoff, Christian J Terkelsen
1The Heart Centre, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Insights
Interventional cardiology in Denmark performs 30,000 coronary angiographies and 10,000 percutaneous coronary interventions annually. Structural heart interventions like transcatheter aortic valve implantation are increasing.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Interventions
- Healthcare Systems
Background:
- Interventional cardiology has been established in Denmark since the mid-1980s.
- Procedures are concentrated in a few high-volume centers.
- Denmark offers universal, largely free healthcare with a mixed public hospital funding model.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of the current landscape of interventional cardiology in Denmark.
- To highlight trends in procedure volumes and device utilization.
- To describe the healthcare system context for these interventions.
Main Methods:
- Data analysis of annual procedure volumes for coronary angiography (CAG), percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), and transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
- Description of healthcare financing and hospital ownership in Denmark.
- Summary of stent and device usage in PCI procedures.
Main Results:
- Approximately 30,000 CAGs, 10,000 PCIs (25% primary), and 500 TAVIs are performed annually.
- CAG and PCI volumes have plateaued, while structural interventions (TAVI) are rising.
- Over 95% of PCI patients receive drug-eluting stents; bioabsorbable scaffolds and drug-eluting balloons show low but increasing use.
Conclusions:
- Interventional cardiology in Denmark is characterized by high-volume procedures concentrated in specialized centers.
- A shift towards increasing structural heart interventions is evident.
- The utilization of advanced stent technology is high, with emerging use of newer devices.
Abstract:
Interventional cardiology in Denmark has been carried out since the mid 1980s. Interventional cardiology is only performed at a few high-volume centres. Healthcare coverage is universal and is essentially free of charge. Hospitals are mostly publicly owned and financed by fixed budgets and, in part, an activity-based funding system. Approximately 30,000 coronary angiographies (CAG), 10,000 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) of which approximately 25% are primary PCIs, and 500 transcatheter aortic valve implantations (TAVIs) are carried out each year. The numbers of CAG and PCI have reached a plateau in recent years, whereas structural heart interventions, in particular TAVI, are increasing. Around 90% of all patients treated with PCI have a stent implanted, with more than 95% of these being drug-eluting stents. There is a low but increasing use of bioabsorbable scaffolds and drug-eluting balloons.
