QUALITY ASSESSMENT FOR INVASIVE INTERVENT IONAL CARDIOLOGY IN AUSTRIAIN 1993

21769 diagnostic coronary angiographies and 4266 PTCA were performed i n all 25 Austrian centres during the year 1993. This is 16% more angio graphies and 13% more PTCA compared to 1992. 50% of all PTCA were done during the diagnostic study (= ad hoc), multi vessel PTCA in 14%, dir ect PTCA for acute infarction in 1.8%. Concerning ''new devices'', 182 stents (89 in the year 1992) were implanted in 1993, and 54 direction al coronary atherectomies (DCA) performed (44 in the year 1992). Hospi tal mortality after PTCA was 0.5% (0.5% in 1992), emergency bypass sur gery rate after PTCA was 0.7% (0.9% in 1992), and 1.2% of the patients were documented as myocardial infarction after PTCA (1.9% in 1992). C omplicated coronary anatomy before PTCA accounted for about 50% of the indications, quality of the results after PTCA was tested by an exerc ise stress test before and after PTCA in six of 15 PTCA centers. In th ese centers 70.5% of their cases underwent exercise stress testing. Ne xt year we are going to document and control quality of the indication s and results in a more complete fashion than in 1993. Comparing Austr ia with other European countries it shows a leading position concernin g 2721 diagnostic procedures per million inhabitants and year and 533 PTCA per million and year. The PTCA rate compared to the diagnostic ra te (19.6%) indicates, that Austria relatively does more diagnostic tha n therapeutic interventions. Complication rate showed no correlation w ith frequencies of single Austrian centers, but centers with higher fr equencies concerning numbers also have higher frequencies concerning t he relative rate of PTCA per diagnostic angiography and concerning PTC A at the time of diagnostic study. The Austrian way of visiting all th e cathlaboraties by monitors each year to control and - if necessary - to correct the documentation and to give a feedback comparison to mea n values seems the best way so far and is accepted by all Austrian cen ters. This way of quality assessment includes the publication of the r esults, the correlation of the data to other countries and the changes from one year to another.