PRESS RELEASE

April 21, 2006

American University of Armenia
40 Marshal Baghramian
Yerevan 375019 ARMENIA
Telephone: (37410) 512-522
Fax: (37410) 512-523
Contact: Diana Manukyan
E-mail: diana@aua.am

AUA and Nork Marash Medical Center Author a Study on Quality of Intensive
Care

The April 2006 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Asian Cardiovascular &
Thoracic Annals presented findings from a study by lead author Lusine
Abrahamyan, MD, MPH, which demonstrated that quality of care at Nork Marash
Medical Center (NMMC) following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)
surgery, measured in terms of post operative complications and ICU stays,
are comparable to those reported by major international cardiac surgery
centers. According to co-author and Surgical Consultant at NMMC Dr. Hrair
Hovaguimian, “This article is an important step toward establishing systems
for outcomes reporting in parallel with international standards.”

AUA/CHSR faculty Anahit Demirchyan, MD, MPH, and Michael Thompson, MS, DrPH,
also co-authors noted, “The study reported here was a small part of a
five-year privately funded collaborative project between the Center for
Health Services Research and Development of the American University of
Armenia (AUA/CHSR) and the Nork Marash Medical Center focused on assessing
and improving the quality of care at NMMC.” Lead author Lusine Abrahamyan,
now a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, noted that “These results
not only attest to the quality of care at NMMC, but also provide important
insights for individual patient counseling.”

“AUA students, graduates and faculty working together with the Medical Staff
of the Hospital undertook a thorough study and evaluation of all functions
and procedures in the hospital with the express purpose of raising its
standards to accepted international norms. To say that the Hospital and AUA
achieved its goals is both an understatement and a tribute to all those who
worked on the project. Their professional expertise and personal commitment
has manifested itself in a higher standard of care, the direct beneficiary
of which is each and every patient that enters the Hospital. My
congratulations to them all,” added Mr. Edward Avedisian, who generously
funded this project.

For further information about this or other AUA/CHSR projects, visit

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The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit