Roughly 12 percent of angioplasties performed in an elective, non-emergency setting may be inappropriate and not beneficial, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Researchers at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., looked at patients who underwent angioplasty, or percutaneous coronary intervention, between July 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010, at 1,091 U.S. hospitals. They used appropriate use criteria developed by national cardiology organizations.
Here are some key findings:
• In acute or emergency situations, 98.6 percent of angioplasties were appropriate.
• In nonacute or elective settings, 50.4 percent of angioplasties were appropriate, 38 percent were uncertain and 11.6 percent were inappropriate.
• Hospital rates for elective angioplasties varied from 6 percent to 16.7 percent.
• According to a St. Luke's news release, the authors estimate as many as 15,000 U.S. patients may be undergoing angioplasty or stents each year without any reasonable expectation of benefit.
"This [study] suggests that while some hospitals are doing a very good job selecting the right patients to undergo angioplasty, some seem to be doing a lot of procedures in patients who are not likely to benefit as much from the procedure," said lead author Paul Chan, MD, in the release.
Read the Journal of the American Medical Association study on elective angioplasty.
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Researchers at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo., looked at patients who underwent angioplasty, or percutaneous coronary intervention, between July 1, 2009, and Sept. 30, 2010, at 1,091 U.S. hospitals. They used appropriate use criteria developed by national cardiology organizations.
Here are some key findings:
• In acute or emergency situations, 98.6 percent of angioplasties were appropriate.
• In nonacute or elective settings, 50.4 percent of angioplasties were appropriate, 38 percent were uncertain and 11.6 percent were inappropriate.
• Hospital rates for elective angioplasties varied from 6 percent to 16.7 percent.
• According to a St. Luke's news release, the authors estimate as many as 15,000 U.S. patients may be undergoing angioplasty or stents each year without any reasonable expectation of benefit.
"This [study] suggests that while some hospitals are doing a very good job selecting the right patients to undergo angioplasty, some seem to be doing a lot of procedures in patients who are not likely to benefit as much from the procedure," said lead author Paul Chan, MD, in the release.
Read the Journal of the American Medical Association study on elective angioplasty.
Related Articles on Heart Studies:
Study Suggests Cardiac Surgery Programs Duplicated Services
Study: Nearly 70K Die Per Year Due to Undelivered Heart Therapy
Cardiac Catheterizations Through Wrist Reduce Recover Time, Bleeding