Source
Schüchtermann-Klinik, Klinik für Herz- und Gefässerkrankungen Kardiologie, Herzchirurgie, Rehabilitation Ulmenallee 11 49214 Bad Rothenfelde, Germany.
Abstract
For 25 years, cardiac catheters have been prepared for reuse in a hospital for heart and vessel diseases, in the beginning by the hospital itself, later on by a specialized company with a standardize, validated certified procedure. Experiences with almost 100,000 interventions with flow directed catheters, diagnostic left-heart- and angiography-catheters, balloon- and electrophysiology-catheters, which were performed with reused material in more than half of these cases, are reported. All patients were informed that disposable catheters were reused. Neither the duration of the intervention, the x-ray load for the patient, the consumption of contrast media and the change rate of catheters, nor the catheter dependent complication rates were increased for reused catheters in comparison to single use. Therefore the reuse of cardiac catheters does not affect patients' safety, but is a cost-saving strategy.