[Surgical quality assurance in the largest federal district of Austria--introduction of a project]. / Chirurgische Qualitätssicherung im grössten Bundesland Osterreichs--Vorstellung eines Projektes.

On the basis of permanently rising costs in health care on the one hand and limited budgets on the other hand as well as the increasing importance of correct and comprehensive quality assurance, we developed protocols for nine different surgical tracer-diagnosis. These protocols include the minimum standards of the medical, nursing and administrative area per day of treatment. After one year of trial at three surgical departments of different capacity, treatment-spectrum and equipment, revised protocols will be implemented at all 23 surgical departments in our federal state if necessary.

Is laser assisted angioplasty a real alternative to surgical treatment of occluded peripheral vessels?

Since 1988 250 patients had occluded peripheral arteries reopened by an Argon laser. The mean age of the 110 men and 85 women was 71 years and the mean length of all occlusions 13.4 cm. The primary success rate was 81.5% with a perforation rate of less than 2%. The patency rate after 96 weeks was 80%.