Cardiac catherization in Austria: Results from the Austrian National Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Registry (ANCALAR) 2012–2018

BACKGROUND: Cardiac catheterization is one of the most widely performed cardiac interventional procedures worldwide. The Austrian National Catheterization Laboratory Registry (ANCALAR), started in 1992, collects annual data on cardiac catheterization in Austria. The registry enables in-depth understanding of the dynamics of cardiac catheterization procedures and their use across 34 cardiac catheterization laboratories in Austria. METHODS: Data from ANCALAR on cardiac catheterization including the latest data for 2017, voluntarily provided by centers with cardiac catheterization laboratories, were analyzed. Where possible, international comparisons in therapeutic and interventional cardiac procedures are made with Switzerland and Germany. RESULTS: Internationally, Austria ranks alongside the top countries in Europe. Whilst the number of people undergoing routine percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) remains stable, complex and acute interventions are increasing year by year in Austria. CONCLUSION: Evidence from ANCALAR revealed that Austria is another example of the difficulties of weighing current guidelines with new emerging evidence and resulting real-life clinical practice in the dynamic world of interventional cardiology. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00508-019-01599-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.