NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bobbie Boyd, Director of Public Relations
& Community Outreach
Advanced Cardiac Specialists
Cell Phone: (602) 570-7069 E-mail:
bobbie.boyd@acs-im.com
OUT-PATIENT ANGIOPLASTY
Research Indicates More
Extensive Hospital Stay May Not Be Necessary
Gilbert, Arizona (March
22, 2001) - Historically, patients undergoing an angioplasty, whereby a tube is
inserted through the upper leg to provide a pathway to view, diagnose and
remove blockage from arteries, were admitted as in-patients for a hospital
stay. New research indicates that a
hospital stay is not necessary and that patients may return sooner to resume
their quality of life.
A retrospective study of 4,598 patients from January 1996 to December 2000 was conducted. 32% of these patients received an out-patient angioplasty, defined by Medicare as less than a 24 hour stay in the hospital, for the procedure. 98.2%, or 1,442, of these patients had a successful procedure with no complications. 89.4% were event-free, with no complications, 12 months after the procedure. All were released in less than 24 hours.
The study findings
indicate that a more lengthy hospital stay does not impact the success of the
procedure or subsequent complications.
The result a reduction in cost and a sooner return to the patient’s
day-to-day routine.
The research results were presented by Advanced Cardiac Specialists’ Research Department; Robert M. Siegel, M.D., Medical Director; Barbara Barker, M.D., Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine; Ambika Bhaskaran, M.D., Medical Director of Cardiovascular Research, at the 50th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Florida March 2001. The research was selected to be the first oral presentation, as a new component of the sessions.