SPANISH-REGISTRY-OF-HEMODYNAMIC-AND-INTER VENTIONAL-CARDIOLOGY-ACTIVITY IN 1996

The results of the Spanish Registry of Hemodynamic and Interventional Cardiology in 1996 are presented. The Registry collects the activity o f 81 centers which constitutes all of the cardiac catheterization labo ratories in Spain. The main activity was adult cardiac catheterization in 73 centers and exclusively pediatric cardiac catheterization in 8. A total of 63,961 diagnostic catheterization procedures were performe d, which represents a 10.7% increase compared to 1995. This was mainly due to the increase in coronary angiographies. Coronary interventions increased by 21.4%, for a total number of 15,009 procedures. The rati o of coronary interventions per million inhabitants was 375. Success r ates of coronary interventions (94%) and complications (2.9%) were sim ilar to those registered in preceeding years. In the specific field of revascularization devices, there has been a sustained and spectacular increase in the use of intracoronary stents in the last 3 years. In 1 996, coronary stents were employed in 7,104 cases (47.3% of all corona ry revascularization procedures) and 8,873 prosthesis were implanted, increasing two-fold the activity in that field when compared to 1995. Stent implantation was elective in 58% cases, and the complication rat e was very low (1% subacute closure; 1.8% myocardial infarction and 0. 9% mortality). Directional coronary atherectomy decreased by 47% in th e last year whereas rotational atherectomy increased by 10% despite a reduction in the number of centers performing this technique. As in pr evious years, a slight decrease in adult valvuloplasties was noted. Pe diatric interventional procedures (607) increased by 30% compared to t he 1995 Registry.