Assessing Appropriateness of Coronary Angiography: Another Step in Improving Quality

Editorials19 August 2008Assessing Appropriateness of Coronary Angiography: Another Step in Improving QualityDavid P. Faxon, MDDavid P. Faxon, MDFrom Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02120.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-149-4-200808190-00011 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Coronary angiography has been the principal means of assessing coronary disease in patients who may need coronary revascularization (1). Introduced in the 1960s, the test has become one of the most frequently performed procedures in the United States. The American Heart Association estimates that more than 1.3 million procedures were done in 2005, an increase of 342% since 1979 (2). With the phenomenal growth of this expensive test and the small but significant morbidity and mortality associated with it, many have questioned the appropriateness of the present rates of use of the procedure.Over the past 20 years, studies have ...References1. Scanlon PJ, Faxon DP, Audet AM, Carabello B, Dehmer GJ, Eagle KA, et al. ACC/AHA guidelines for coronary angiography: executive summary and recommendations. A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Committee on Coronary Angiography) developed in collaboration with the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions. Circulation. 1999;99:2345-57. [PMID: 10226103] MedlineGoogle Scholar2. Rosamond W, Flegal K, Furie K, Go A, Greenlund K, Haase N, et al; American Heart Association Statistics Committee. Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. 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Smaha LA; American Heart Association. The American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines program. Am Heart J. 2004;148:S46-8. [PMID: 15514634] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02120.Disclosures: None disclosed.Corresponding Author: David P. Faxon, MD, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, 1620 Tremont Street, OBC-3-12N, Boston, MA 02120; e-mail, [email protected]org. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAppropriateness Criteria for Coronary Angiography in Angina: Reliability and Validity Harry Hemingway , Ruoling Chen , Cornelia Junghans , Adam Timmis , Sandra Eldridge , Nick Black , Paul Shekelle , and Gene Feder Metrics Cited ByAppropriateness of referrals for single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT-MPI) in a developing community: A comparison between 2005 and 2009 versions of ACCF/ASNC appropriateness criteriaIntegrazione di sicurezza e qualitàIntegrating Safety and QualityUniversal Health Insurance and the Effect of Cost Containment on Mortality Rates: Strokes and Heart Attacks in JapanThe Mortality Effects of Cost Containment under Universal Health Insurance: The Japanese Experience 19 August 2008Volume 149, Issue 4Page: 276-278KeywordsAnginaAngiographyClinical trialsCoronary revascularizationExerciseRevascularizationTreatment guidelines ePublished: 19 August 2008 Issue Published: 19 August 2008 CopyrightCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. 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