Coronary angiography in Qatar: the first ten years

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Interventional Cardiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiac catheterization services in Qatar commenced in July 1982.
• Hamad General Hospital performed 3900 procedures over the first decade.
• A computerized registry has documented data since 1982.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the trends and outcomes of cardiac catheterization procedures in Qatar.
• To compare the demographic and angiographic characteristics of younger versus older patients undergoing coronary angiography.
• To identify patterns in coronary artery disease among different patient groups.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 2911 isolated coronary angiographies performed between 1982 and 1992.
• Data collected from a computerized registry at Hamad General Hospital.
• Comparison of angiographic findings between patients aged 40 years or younger and older patients.

Main Results:

• Myocardial infarction was the primary indication for angiography (43%).
• Prevalence of coronary artery disease included single-vessel (22%), two-vessel (22%), three-vessel (33%), and nonsignificant disease (24%).
• Younger patients (≤40 years, 28%) were predominantly Asian males with recent myocardial infarction, often presenting with normal or single-vessel disease.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac catheterization in Qatar has a low morbidity rate (5%) with no reported mortality.
• Younger patients undergoing angiography exhibit distinct demographic and etiological profiles compared to older patients.
• Asian subcontinent males represent a significant demographic undergoing angiography for recent myocardial infarction, frequently with less severe coronary artery disease.