by Peter Ludman, BCIS Audit Officer

This PCI Database is designed to capture details about percutaneous coronary interventional procedures. Procedure reports and GP letters can be created, the data can be analysed within the database, or exported for analysis. This database the dataset agreed by the British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) / Central Cardiac Audit Database (CCAD). It can create the comma separated values (CSV) file required to upload data to the Lotus Notes application for CCAD. Thus the data can be sent encrypted to CCAD in exactly the same way (and using the same gateway) as is done with the Myocardial Infarction National Audit Project (MINAP). I have written the database in Access 2000 / XP

The latest PCI database is:
Version 15.0 (2008)
Compatible with BCIS CCAD dataset version 5.4.3
(update to version 5.4.4 can be done manually by adding menu items as described in the PCI Data Collection Page

Users already using an earlier version can upgrade to the current version as described in the PCI Data Collection Page

This database is not locked so the code can be explored and modified if necessary (see release notes section – getting inside the database). It should be quite straightforward to get your IT department to set up a link from this database to your local hospital patient administration system, so that patient demographics, NHS numbers etc. do not have to be entered manually. A link to the results server is also very helpful (cholesterols, CK, renal function). In my centre the database is on our main server (and hence automatically backed up each night), and anyone with appropriate permissions (set by the network administrators) can use it. Microsoft Access is designed so that it copes with a number of users simultaneously interacting with the database, so for example it can be running in several PCI labs and offices at the same time.

The database is designed so that most of the data is entered during and at the end of a PCI procedure, and a final set of data entered after patient discharge. There is also the option to add later follow up data if required. The data can be analysed using the queries I have written, and in addition the full dataset (excluding sub-tables) can be exported to Microsoft Excel to be analysed elsewhere. In addition once the data are uploaded to the Lotus Notes CCAD application, all the Lotus analysis tools are also available.

To use the database you need to down load 3 files:

1. Database version 15.0
2. Mousehook dll
3. Release notes for version 15

More information on current and previous datasets, and the detailed version histories you can find on the PCI Data Collection Page