Cardiac cath procedure volume grew 14% from 1998 to 2000, with 3.75 million patient studies conducted in the U.S. last year, according to market research firm IMV of Des Plaines, IL.
The survey found that 52% of cath labs perform noncardiac exams in the suite. While 3.4 million of the total procedures conducted are cardiac-related, the remaining noncardiac cases include carotid, iliac, femoral, runoff, renal and extremity studies. Combined cases, in which both diagnostic and interventional procedures are performed in one session, increased from 3% of total cardiac-related cath lab cases in 1993 to 26% in 2000.
The availability of digital coronary angiography and comparison studies in digital archives have accelerated the trend toward interventional studies, according to IMV general manager Mitchell Goldburgh. The survey also found that more cardiac cath sites are networked, with 62% in 1999 reporting that they used cardiac cath review stations connected to a network. That compares to 35% in 1997.
More information on the report is available at IMV's Web site, at www.imvlimited.com.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersSeptember 4, 2001
Copyright © 2001 AuntMinnie.com
