Assessment of cost-effectiveness of treatment of cardiological patients (by the Proceedings of XIX-th and XX-th Congresses of the European Society ofCardiology)

The review summarizes results of studies presented at the XIX-XX Congresses of the European Society of Cardiology devoted to social and economical asp ects of assessment of cost-effectiveness of various methods of investigatio n and treatment (conservative and invasive) of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The following problems are discussed: determination of the cost- effectiveness index of some expensive diagnostic procedures such as coronar y angiography, myocardial perfusion imaging and echo cardiography; economic al aspects of cardiac surgery (assessment of expediency of surgery in geria tric practice, choice of optimal intervention in ischemic heart disease, ta ctics of postoperative care); cost-effectiveness of different algorithms of medical treatment of patients with myocardial infarction and heart failure .