U.S. Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories: End-User Product and Procedure Utilization Assessment

The cardiac catheterization lab, or cath lab, has traditionally been one of the busiest and most device-intensive areas of the hospital. This has made the cath lab the focus of concentrated sales and marketing efforts by companies that provide products for procedures performed in this department.

The Medical Data International Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Survey, covering the years 1997 and 1998, was specifically designed to provide product suppliers with information obtained directly from cath lab directors concerning their facility’s procedure trends, product and supplier preferences, decision-making responsibility, and factors impacting operations and performance.

The survey was mailed out in October 1998 to cath labs in the United States. Telephone follow-up with approximately 250 of the labs occurred in April and May of 1999. Between November 1998 and June 1, 1999, 124 of the surveys were returned to Medical
Data International. Of these, 119 of the surveys—which represent a statistically significant 7.5% of the 1,596 cath labs in the U.S.—contained complete, detailed responses. The 119 surveys were then analyzed and compiled into the data presented in this report. 

The key survey results are organized into five chapters in the report including respondent background, procedure volumes and trends, purchasing practices, suppliers, and factors impacting day-to-day laboratory operations. The results presented in the following sections represent an overview of the national data; more detailed analyses are incorporated into the
body of the report.