The current status and future direction of percutaneous coronary intervention without on-site surgical backup: An expert consensus document from the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions

Complex High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Types, Trends, and Outcomes in Nonsurgical Centres

BACKGROUND

Limited data are available on complex high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (CHiP) trends and outcomes in nonsurgical centres (NSCs), particularly in health care systems where most centres are NSCs.

METHODS

Using data from a national registry, we studied the characteristics and outcomes of CHiP procedures performed for stable angina from 2006 to 2017 according to the presence or absence of on-site surgical cover. Multivariate regression analyses and propensity score matching were used to determine risks for in-hospital death, major bleeding, and major cardiovascular or cerebral events (MACCE).

RESULTS

Out of 134,730 CHiP procedures, 42,433 (31.5%) were performed in NSCs, increasing from 12.5% in 2006 to 42% in 2017. Compared with surgical centres (SCs), patients who had a CHiP procedure undertaken in NSCs were, on average, 2.4 years older and had a greater prevalence of cardiovascular risks. Common CHiP procedures performed in NSCs included poor left ventricular function (41.6%), chronic renal failure (38.8%), and chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary intervention (31.1%). NSC-based CHiP is associated with lower odds of mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5-0.8) and major bleeding (aOR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.8). In both groups, MACCE odds were similar (aOR 1.0, 95% CI 0.9-1.1).

CONCLUSIONS

CHiP numbers have steadily increased in NSCs. NSC patients were older and had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risks than SC patients. Mortality and major bleeding odds were significantly lower in those cases undertaken in NSCs, although MACCE odds were not different between the groups.

2015 SCAI/ACC/HFSA/STS Clinical Expert Consensus Statement on the Use of Percutaneous Mechanical Circulatory Support Devices in Cardiovascular Care (Endorsed by the American Heart Association, the Cardiological Society of India, and Sociedad Latino Americana de Cardiologia Intervencion; Affirmation of Value by the Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology-Association Canadienne de Cardiologie d'intervention)

Although historically the intra-aortic balloon pump has been the only mechanical circulatory support device available to clinicians, a number of new devices have become commercially available and have entered clinical practice. These include axial flow pumps, such as Impella(®); left atrial to femoral artery bypass pumps, specifically the TandemHeart; and new devices for institution of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. These devices differ significantly in their hemodynamic effects, insertion, monitoring, and clinical applicability. This document reviews the physiologic impact on the circulation of these devices and their use in specific clinical situations. These situations include patients undergoing high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention, those presenting with cardiogenic shock, and acute decompensated heart failure. Specialized uses for right-sided support and in pediatric populations are discussed and the clinical utility of mechanical circulatory support devices is reviewed, as are the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical practice guidelines.

A cross-sectional study of stand-alone percutaneous coronary intervention in a Nigerian cardiac catheterization laboratory

BACKGROUND

There is a paucity of diagnostic and therapeutic facilities in Nigeria to confirm coronary artery disease and offer appropriate interventional therapy. There is now a private cardiac catheterization laboratory in Lagos but as there are no sustained Open Heart Surgery programmes, percutaneous coronary interventions are currently being performed without surgical backup. This study was designed to assess results of stand-alone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as currently practiced in Lagos, Nigeria.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted between July 2009 and July 2012. The study included all patients that underwent PCI in Lagos. Data was extracted from a prospectively maintained database.

RESULTS

Coronary artery disease was confirmed in 80 (52.6%) of 152 Nigerians referred with a diagnosis of Ischaemic Heart Disease. There were 53 males (66.2%) and 27 females (33.8%). The average age was 60.3 +/-9.6 years and average euroscore was 4.5 +/-3.1. Of the 80 patients, 77 (96.3%) had significant stenoses and were candidates for revascularization. Distribution of significant stenoses was one in 32 patients (41.5%), two in 11 patients (14.3%), three in 19 patients (24.7%), four in 13 patients (16.9%) and five in 2 patients (2.6%). PCI was performed in 48 (62.3%) of the patients eligible for revascularization as the coronary anatomy in the remaining patients was not suitable for PCI. The indication for PCI was for myocardial infarction or unstable angina in 39 patients (81.2%). PCI was performed with PTCA plus stenting in 41 patients (85.4%) and with PTCA alone in 7 patients (14.6%) with good angiographic results. Overall 29 of the 48 patients (60.4%) had complete revascularization of significant stenoses. Complications of PCI were bleeding that required blood transfusion in 1 patient (2.1%), minor femoral haematomas in 2 patients (4.2%), and a major adverse clinical event in 1 patient (2.1%).

CONCLUSION

A stand-alone PCI programme has been developed in Lagos, Nigeria. Both elective and urgent PCIs have been performed with no mortalities and a low complication rate. Increased volumes will however accrue and complete revascularization rates would be improved with the establishment of Open Heart Surgery programmes to provide CABG as back-up for PCI and alternate therapy for more complex lesions.

Growth in percutaneous coronary intervention capacity relative to population and disease prevalence

Background

The access to and growth of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not been fully explored with regard to geographic equity and need. Economic factors and timely access to primary PCI provide the impetus for growth in PCI centers, and this is balanced by volume standards and the benefits of regionalized care.

Methods and Results

Geospatial and statistical analyses were used to model capacity, growth, and access of PCI hospitals relative to population density and myocardial infarction (MI) prevalence at the state level. Longitudinal data were obtained for 2003–2011 from the American Hospital Association, the U.S. Census, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with geographical modeling to map PCI locations. The number of PCI centers has grown 21.2% over the last 8 years, with 39% of all hospitals having interventional cardiology capabilities. During the same time, the US population has grown 8.3%, from 217 million to 235 million, and MI prevalence rates have decreased from 4.0% to 3.7%. The most densely concentrated states have a ratio of 8.1 to 12.1 PCI facilities per million of population with significant variability in both MI prevalence and average distance between PCI facilities.

Conclusions

Over the last decade, the growth rate for PCI centers is 1.5× that of the population growth, while MI prevalence is decreasing. This has created geographic imbalances and access barriers with excess PCI centers relative to need in some regions and inadequate access in others.

The first year of the Venlo percutaneous coronary intervention program: procedural and 6-month clinical outcomes

Objectives

Analysis of the first results of off-site percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements at VieCuri Medical Centre for Northern Limburg in Venlo.

Background

Off-site PCI is accepted in the European and American Cardiac Guidelines as the need for PCI increases and it has been proven to be a safe treatment option for acute coronary syndrome.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study reporting characteristics, PCI and FFR specifications, complications and 6-month follow-up for all consecutive patients from the beginning of off-site PCI in Venlo until July 2012. If possible, the data were compared with those of Medical Centre Alkmaar, the first off-site PCI centre in the Netherlands.

Results

Of the 333 patients, 19 (5.7 %) had a procedural complication. At 6 months, a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) occurred in 43 (13.1 %) patients. There were no deaths or emergency surgery related to the PCI or FFR procedures. There was no significant difference in occurrence of a MACE or adverse cerebral event between the Alkmaar and Venlo population in the 30-day follow-up.

Conclusion

This study demonstrates off-site PCI at VieCuri Venlo to have a high success rate. Furthermore, there was a low complication rate, low MACE and no procedure-related mortality.

Underutilization of percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in medicaid patients relative to private insurance patients

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether disparities in access to invasive cardiac procedures still exist for Medicaid patients, given how old earlier studies are and given changes in the interim in appropriateness guidelines.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 5,022 Medicaid and private insurance patients in New York from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2009 under age 65 with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) were compared with regard to their access to percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) before and after controlling for numerous patient characteristics and other important factors.

RESULTS

Medicaid patients were significantly less likely to be admitted initially to a hospital certified to perform PCI (90.4% vs. 94.3%, P < 0.001). Also, Medicaid patients were found to be significantly less likely to undergo PCI than other patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.81, 95% CI 0.66, 0.98, P = 0.03). When the probability of each hospital performing PCI for STEMI patients was controlled for, Medicaid patients were still less likely to undergo PCI after controlling for other risk factors (AOR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.65, 0.99, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Medicaid STEMI patients are significantly less likely to undergo PCI within the same day of admission as private pay patients even after adjusting for patient characteristics related to receiving PCI, and the strength of this relationship is not diminished when controlling for whether the admitting hospital has approval to perform PCI or controlling for the tendency of the admitting hospital to treat STEMI with PCI.

Nonemergency PCI at hospitals with or without on-site cardiac surgery

BACKGROUND

Emergency surgery has become a rare event after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Whether having cardiac-surgery services available on-site is essential for ensuring the best possible outcomes during and after PCI remains uncertain.

METHODS

We enrolled patients with indications for nonemergency PCI who presented at hospitals in Massachusetts without on-site cardiac surgery and randomly assigned these patients, in a 3:1 ratio, to undergo PCI at that hospital or at a partner hospital that had cardiac surgery services available. A total of 10 hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery and 7 with on-site cardiac surgery participated. The coprimary end points were the rates of major adverse cardiac events--a composite of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, or stroke--at 30 days (safety end point) and at 12 months (effectiveness end point). The primary end points were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle and were tested with the use of multiplicative noninferiority margins of 1.5 (for safety) and 1.3 (for effectiveness).

RESULTS

A total of 3691 patients were randomly assigned to undergo PCI at a hospital without on-site cardiac surgery (2774 patients) or at a hospital with on-site cardiac surgery (917 patients). The rates of major adverse cardiac events were 9.5% in hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery and 9.4% in hospitals with on-site cardiac surgery at 30 days (relative risk, 1.00; 95% one-sided upper confidence limit, 1.22; P<0.001 for noninferiority) and 17.3% and 17.8%, respectively, at 12 months (relative risk, 0.98; 95% one-sided upper confidence limit, 1.13; P<0.001 for noninferiority). The rates of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and stroke (the components of the primary end point) did not differ significantly between the groups at either time point.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonemergency PCI procedures performed at hospitals in Massachusetts without on-site surgical services were noninferior to procedures performed at hospitals with on-site surgical services with respect to the 30-day and 1-year rates of clinical events. (Funded by the participating hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery; MASS COM ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01116882.).

Outcomes for Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction in Hospitals With and Without Onsite Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Background— The benefit of primary percutaneous coronary interventions (P-PCI) for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been well documented. However, controversy still exists as to whether PCI should be expanded to hospitals without coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Methods and Results— Patients who were discharged after PCI for STEMI between January 1, 2003, and December 12, 2006, in P-PCI centers (hospitals with no coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and PCI only for patients with STEMI) were propensity matched with patients in full service centers, and mortality and subsequent revascularization rates were compared. For patients undergoing PCI, there were no differences for in-hospital/30-day mortality (2.3% for P-PCI centers versus 1.9% for full service centers [ P =0.40]), emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery immediately after PCI (0.06% versus 0.35%, P =0.06), 3-year mortality (7.1% versus 5.9%, P =0.07), or 3-year subsequent revascularization (23.8% versus 21.5%, P =0.52). P-PCI centers had a lower same/next day coronary artery bypass graft rate (0.23% versus 0.69%, P =0.046) and higher repeat target vessel PCI rates (12.1% versus 9.0%, P =0.003). For patients with STEMI who did not undergo PCI, P-PCI centers had higher in-hospital mortality (28.5% versus 22.3%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.75).

Conclusions— No differences between P-PCI centers and full service centers were found in in-hospital/30-day mortality, the need for emergency surgery, 3-year mortality or subsequent revascularization, but P-PCI centers had higher repeat target vessel PCI rates and higher mortality rates for patients who did not undergo PCI. P-PCI centers should be monitored closely, including the monitoring of patients with STEMI who did not undergo PCI.

Safety and efficacy of offsite percutaneous coronary interventions in 1,348 consecutive patients in rural Tasmania

Despite controversy, a growing body of data exists suggesting that percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with no surgical onsite availability is safe and efficacious. Over a period of 3 years all patients requiring PCI had their intervention performed at the Launceston General Hospital, a regional hospital serving rural Tasmania, Australia. There were no exclusion criteria uniformly adopted. Primary end points included angiographic success and major procedure-related complications. A total cohort of 1,348 consecutive patients underwent PCI during the calendar years of 2005 through 2007, including patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Angiographic success for all patients was >98%. In-hospital mortality was 0.8% overall. Only 1 patient required urgent transfer to a cardiac surgical center. Bleeding rates requiring transfusion were approximately 1%. Excellent clinical outcomes have been achieved in a relatively remote PCI center in rural, northern Tasmania, where there is no emergency cardiac surgical availability. Angiographic success was high and complication rates were low, consistent with worldwide standards. In conclusion, PCI without onsite surgery appears safe and efficacious when well-trained staffing is available.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention expansion to hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery in Michigan: a geographic information systems analysis

BACKGROUND

In 2005, Michigan expanded primary percutaneous coronary intervention (P-PCI) capability to 12 hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery. We determined the potential impact of this expansion on geographic access to P-PCI for patients.

METHODS

Geographic information systems using the US Census Survey and hospital data from the state of Michigan were used to construct maps with 20-mile hospital service areas around P-PCI hospitals with and without on-site cardiac surgery. Geographic access was calculated as the percentage of the population living within the hospital service areas of these 2 types of hospitals.

RESULTS

Of 9,938,444 persons in Michigan, 7,694,834 (77.4%) lived within 20 miles of a P-PCI hospital. Thirty centers with on-site cardiac surgery provided access for 7,219,995 persons (72.6%). The 12 P-PCI hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery increased access by 474,839 persons (4.8%). Of these, 3 geographically isolated facilities, which were at least 20 miles away from another P-PCI hospital, accounted for the greatest improvement in geographic access (n = 425,700 [4.3%]), whereas the remaining 9 hospitals increased access by only 49,139 persons (0.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Expansion of P-PCI to hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery in Michigan improved geographic access to a modest extent.

Outcomes of 1,090 consecutive, elective, nonselected percutaneous coronary interventions at a community hospital without onsite cardiac surgery

We evaluated the efficacy and safety of elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at a hospital without onsite cardiac surgery. A growing number of hospitals without onsite cardiac surgery perform elective PCI. Few hospitals have reported outcomes, despite controversy surrounding this practice. From August 2003 to December 2005, 1,090 elective PCI were performed at Saint Luke's South Hospital (SLS), a hospital without onsite cardiac surgery, for which the referral center is the Mid America Heart Institute (MAHI). The elective PCI program used experienced interventionalists, technicians, and nurses; a tested helicopter transport protocol; a well-equipped catheterization laboratory; and a quality assurance process. Baseline characteristics, procedural success, and adverse clinical outcomes were compared. Observed frequencies of in-hospital death, a combined end point of Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI)/emergency coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, and vascular complications were compared with prediction models. SLS, with lower risk characteristics than MAHI, had unadjusted frequencies of procedural success (93% vs 94%, p = NS), Q-wave MI (0.3% vs 0.3%, p = NS), emergency CABG surgery (0.2% vs 0.03%, p = 0.09), vascular complications (0.6% vs 0.6%, p = NS), and in-hospital death (0.1% vs 0.8%, p = 0.002) that compared favorably with MAHI. Two patients transferred from SLS to MAHI for emergency CABG surgery without adverse effects. Fewer in-hospital deaths and vascular complications were observed at SLS than predicted by models. In conclusion, favorable clinical outcomes were achieved for elective PCI at a hospital without onsite cardiac surgery that used strict program requirements.