Positioning your catheterization laboratory to survive the push for noninvasive diagnostics.

The use of noninvasive imaging modalities such as computerized tomography and magnetic resonance for coronary disease diagnosis will dramatically decrease the volume of diagnostic patients in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Consideration must be given to what can be done to keep the cardiac catheterization laboratory a productive and cost-effective department once diagnostics are removed from the catheterization laboratory setting.