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On the basis of a market analysis on the part of industry, the cardiological and cardiosurgical investigation and treatment capacities in 13 West European countries and in the USA are examined. With 2.0 adult left-heart catheter centers per million inhabitants or about 500,000 inhabitants per center, West Germany takes fourth place behind the USA (4.0), the Netherlands (3.2) and Switzerland (2.3). With regard to cardiac surgery, West Germany takes last place in the European comparison with less than 0.6 cardiac surgery centers per million inhabitants. The widespread use of transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is limited by the fact that only 28% of all cardiological centers in West Germany can ensure preparedness for emergency cardiac surgery operations in the same hospital. However, experience in the United States shows that less a proliferation of cardiac surgery centers than additional instruments and staff in the available facilities in West Germany would be desirable for economic and medical reasons.