Frequently Asked Questions about Coronary Artery Disease

How many angiograms are performed at Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute each year?

At Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute, approximately 1,860 diagnostic angiograms are performed each year.

How many angioplasties, stent placements or atherectomies are performed each year?

The physicians at Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute perform approximately 650 interventional procedures including angioplasty, stent placement and atherectomy. Click for details.

How long has the hospital been diagnosing and treating heart disease?

Since the 1960s, Hoag Hospital has been a health resource to the community for diagnostic and treatment options for heart disease. In the early 1980s, as cardiologists began to use angiograms to provide the roadmap of the heart's arteries, Hoag was on the forefront in bringing this option to Orange County. Since that time Hoag has remained the leader and continues to bring state-of-the-art heart care to Orange County.

How experienced are cardiologists who perform angiograms and angioplasties?

Since 1990, the cardiologists at Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute have performed more than 6,000 angiograms and angioplasties. The American College of Cardiology states, "The preponderance of data suggest that, on average, hospitals in which fewer procedures are performed have a greater incidence of complications, notably death and need for bypass surgery for failed intervention, than do hospitals in which more procedures are performed. Consequently, concerns have been raised regarding the results of coronary interventions performed in hospitals with an annual volume of less than 200 to 400 cases per year.*"

Is help available from a full range of medical specialists should complications arise due to related conditions?

Hoag Hospital has a staff of more than 900 physicians who provide care in over 100 medical specialties. Because all of these specialists are available, prompt consultation, diagnosis and treatment are available.

How often do the arteries become blocked again following angioplasty or stent placement?

An on-going problem with using balloon angioplasty alone is that approximately one-third of the time, the blockage returns---usually within 6 months. This is called re-stenosis. It is not the progression of coronary artery disease but the body's immune system response to the balloon angioplasty procedure itself. The use of stents can lower the rate of re-blockage further to less than 20-30% nationally. At Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute, the cardiologists use stents in addition to balloon angioplasty the majority of time. The re-stenosis rate is 12% at 6 months. Hoag was the first hospital in Orange County to offer Intra-Coronary brachytherapy as a treatment option for re-stenosis. Talk with your physician about his or her recommendations.

* American College of Cardiology website, regarding clinical statements/angioplasty. HIRSHFELD ET AL., CORONARY INTERVENTIONAL PROCEDURES JACC Vol. 31, No. 3, March 1, 1998:722-43. "Recommendations for the Assessment and Maintenance of Proficiency in Coronary Interventional Procedures -- Relation of Institutional and Operator Procedural Volume to Procedural Outcome"

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