How safe is the coronary angiogram?

The pertinent literature on complications of selective coronary angiography has been reviewed. Three reports that describe the incidence of major complications in large patient groups are presented for comparative analysis of their results and used as a baseline for consideration of factors that may affect variations between the actual and reported rate of complications. It is recommended that agreement be reached on formulating national standards for the performance of the examination, taking into account the best data available.