Quality management and volume-related outcomes in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

The assessment of quality in the cardiac catheterization laboratory is a complex, ongoing process that requires a comprehensive analysis of the multiple elements of quality. Although clinical outcomes are a reflection of the quality process, they derive from a complex interaction of clinical, technical, and process-of-care components. Procedural volume is associated but not equated with clinical outcomes, although the magnitude of this association depends on numerous covariates, most notably the diminishing rate of adverse outcomes over time.