Heart Disease, JACC / 13.09.2014
VA Hospitals CART Program Provides Quality Oversight Of All VA Heart Cath Labs
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Thomas M. Maddox, MD MSc FACC FAHA
Cardiology, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System
Associate Director, VA CART Program
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Medical Research: What are the main findings of the study?
Dr. Maddox: We were curious to know if the VA, as a provider of PCI at centers without on-site CT surgery, was providing better access to its veterans without compromising their safety. We were pleased to find that there was evidence of better access, with patients reducing their drive time to PCI facilities by, on average, 90 minutes. In addition, there was no compromised safety. Rates of both peri-procedural and 1-year adverse outcomes were low and no different between centers with and without on-site CT surgery.
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