On-line documentation of diagnostic and interventional procedures and automated assessment of CAD prevention recommendations

Quality control of diagnostic and interventional cardiac procedures as well as improvement of CAD prevention becomes more and more important to interventional cardiologists. Statistic evaluation and comparison of all procedural aspects allows to recognize possible problems associated with the procedure and may help to improve outcome and appropriateness of cardiac interventions. Automated assessment of coronary risk profiles followed by recommendations for secondary prevention according to national and international guidelines may improve long term outcome. The authors report on initial experiences with the use of a data base and software system (CARDDAS(R)) developed for on line documentation of all relevant data including indication, diagnosis and risk factors, parameters of interventional procedures as well as complications. The data base allows rapid assessment of procedural problems possibly linked to individual doctors or the material used, thus contributing to continuous improvement of outcome and appropriateness of cardiac interventions. The software is also able to link the individual risk profile with the coronary angiogram, thus allowing automated and optimized recommendations for secondary preventive actions.