New cardiac cath method raises cost, safety questions

For decades, doctors have used a single method for cardiac catheterizations: they enter the body through the femoral artery, at the groin, then examine the heart.

Of late, a new method for performing the procedure has emerged, using a small artery in the patient's wrist. Experts say performing cardiac catheterizations this way may be easier on patients, offers fewer risks of complications and gets patients discharged more quickly, all of which are significant benefits that would seem to meet health reform goals.

The problem is, right now only 1 percent of cardiac cath procedures are performed in this manner. To some extent that's because this new method requires doctors to take on a "steep learning curve," according to the Washington Post. Some physicians, meanwhile, question whether this approach is really better, or just seems that way at the moment.

Perhaps the most troubling question is whether hospitals and doctors are reluctant to switch gears, given the profitability of existing cardiac catheterization procedures, which can pay $10,000 or more for an angioplasty using one stent, the Post notes.

On the other hand, it's unfair to suggest that hospitals are holding off on supporting the new procedure just to save money. It's understandable if they haven't worked their way through the complex issues involved in implementing a new procedure on a broad level.

To learn more about this issue:
- read this Kaiser Health News piece