Lebanese Interventional Coronary Registry

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is estimated to constitute one-third to one-half of cardiovascular diseases worldwide.

In Lebanon, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a major health problem accounting for over 16% of prevalent health conditions and 60% of underlying causes of death in older adults.

Catheterization is one of the medical specialties that have seen most progression in recent years, providing patients and society with an invaluable service.

This continuous development of new techniques should be subject to appropriate quality control.

Therefore, assessment of the procedures and outcomes is something that can help us get a better grasp of the realities and quality in our clinical practice.

Within this context, the Lebanese Cardiology Society (LCS) in collaboration with the Non-Communicable Disease Program NCDP (a national program established by the Ministry of Public Health in 1998) initiated a registry in 2003 called LICOR "Lebanese Interventional COronary angiographies and angioplasties Registry" with the following aims and objectives:

• monitoring the extent and pattern of use of coronary angiographies and to examine appropriateness of performing the procedure in the country
• Evaluate the extent to which clinical practice in Lebanon correlates with European and international figures.
• Assess whether or not there are discrepancies in clinical practice across various hospitals through out the country.
• Establish a quality assurance program for clinical practice in each hospital and to help benchmark individuals and institutions to the national standard of care.
• Have an objective tool to build up and improve health care policies in this field in the country.