According to the Inter-Society Commission for Heart Disease Resources, a catheterization lab should perform at least 300 procedures each year to ensure patient safety and increase the likelihood of a successful outcome. St. Joseph Hospital performs more than 2,000 cardiac catheterizations and interventions each year, and the number continues to grow. Of those patients, only 1 percent experience complications, as compared to a national average of 3 to 4 percent.
The American College of Cardiology, the American College of Physicians and the American Heart Association agree that in order for a physician to reduce the risk of missed or inappropriate diagnoses and complications, he or she should perform at least 25 exercise stress tests each year. St. Joseph Hospital's experienced physicians far exceed this guideline, together performing more than 3,600 stress tests each year. In addition, more than 36,000 electrocardiograms are performed annually.
The American Heart Association recently issued a warning that more than half the physicians in the United States who perform coronary angioplasty fail to perform enough procedures to limit serious complications. St. Joseph Hospital's heart experts far exceed the 200-procedures-a-year safety minimum, performing almost 800 procedures each year, ensuring our patients the best possible outcomes.
What is Catheterization?
Catheterization, or angiography, is performed to collect specific information about your heart arteries so that you and your doctor can decide if you need treatment to restore blood flow to your heart muscle.