Measuring the Quality of Care Given to Patients Undergoing Procedures at the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory

Cardiac catheterization allows a doctor to see how the blood flows through the heart and how well the heart is pumping.

The procedure involves a doctor inserting a thin plastic tube (catheter) into an artery or vein in the arm or leg. From there, it can be threaded into the chambers of the heart or into the arteries that feed the heart muscle. A great deal of information can be collected in the process, including:

• Measuring blood pressure inside the heart
• Checking oxygen levels of blood inside the heart
• Identifying abnormalities inside the heart
• Injecting dyes into the arteries of the heart to create a detailed image of the condition of the arteries.  This is called coronary angiography.
• Attaching balloons to the catheter to help open up narrow or blocked arteries in the heart (percutaneous coronary intervention)
• Placing stents -- small metal frames that can help hold open narrow or blocked arteries (stenting)

Cardiac Catheterization Procedure Volumes

The table below shows the number and type of procedures done at the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory.

Comparing the Proportion of Inpatient Procedures to Outpatient Procedures

Procedures that are done on an outpatient basis do not require a stay overnight in the hospital. These procedures tend to be less invasive. As a result, a patient's recovery from them tends to be faster, less painful and have fewer complications. The table below compares the volume of procedures done at the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory on an outpatient basis versus an inpatient basis.

The graph below compares the total number of procedures done over the past three years, and shows the number of procedures performed on an outpatient basis compared to the number performed on an inpatient basis.