Future Optimal Research and Care Evaluation

Rationale: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death worldwide. To improve cardiovascular care, research is needed. Current guidelines are mainly based on well controlled RCT's, though evaluation of the impact of such RCT's in the real world is missing. In order to evaluate the impact and to overcome certain limitations of RCT's, a more practical approach is required. In this sense the use of nonrandomized observational studies is an important tool for determining the effectiveness of a therapy in routine clinical practice. One way to gain insight in characteristics of patients presenting in daily clinical practice, is to simply register these characteristics in a prospective manner with adequate follow up. Objective: To create an ongoing registry for evaluation of clinical long-term impact of diagnostics, various treatments and devices used for ACS, for research and evaluation of quality of care and to evaluate and improve regional quality of care and cooperation between PCI and non-PCI centers.