Clinical and health status outcomes among patients treated with single as compared to multivessel angioplasty during chronic total occlusion percutaneous coronary interventions: a report from the OPEN CTO registry.

BACKGROUND: Patients with coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) often have multivessel coronary artery disease. We utilized the OPEN CTO study to evaluate patients who underwent single-vessel versus multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) during CTO PCI. METHODS: Patients were considered to have undergone single-vessel CTO PCI if they underwent target-vessel only CTO PCI. Patients who underwent multivessel PCI during their index CTO PCI procedure were considered to have undergone multivessel PCI. The additional lesions treated in the multivessel group could be either a separate CTO lesion in a separate epicardial vessel or PCI attempt of any non-CTO stenosis during the same index procedure. Multivariate regression models were used to evaluate predictors of technical success, in-hospital major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), and health status measures. RESULTS: Eighty hundred twenty-one patients underwent single-vessel CTO PCI and 179 (17.9%) underwent multivessel PCI during their CTO PCI procedure. Baseline comorbidities, index CTO lesion complexity, and successful crossing strategies used were similar between the two groups. Total procedural time (142.6 versus 115.9 minutes, P < 0.01) and contrast administered (293.8 versus 255.0 ml, P < 0.01) were increased in the multivessel CTO PCI group. Single-vessel versus multivessel PCI during these cases did not affect the likelihood of achieving technical success [odds ratio (OR) 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63-1.75] nor the risk for MACCE (OR 1.23, 95% CI 0.72-2.11). Quality of life (QOL) metrics were similar between the two groups at baseline and 30-day follow-up. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in technical success, in-hospital MACCE rates, or QOL metrics at 30-day follow-up for patients who underwent single-vessel versus multivessel PCI during CTO PCI.

A CHIP fellow's transition into practice: Building a complex coronary therapeutics program.

BACKGROUND: Both the prevalence and complexity of coronary artery disease are on the rise in the United States, leading to a resurgence in novel techniques and equipment utilized to treat complex coronary disease. However, declining percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) volumes and lack of formal post-graduate education opportunities have created a gap in treatment delivery for this patient population. Several complex, high-risk, and indicated PCI (CHIP) fellowships have been developed in an attempt to bridge this disparity. We present data from the first year of practice from a former CHIP fellow during development of a formal complex coronary therapeutics program. METHODS: Data was prospectively collected for PCIs performed during the first 12 months of practice for the lead author and compared to procedures performed in the 12 months prior to the study period. RESULTS: Out of 371 PCIs performed during the study period, 53.4% (198/371) were considered complex, including 126 chronic total occlusion (CTO) procedures. Compared to the previous 12 months, there was a significant increase in the number and complexity (median J-CTO score 2.1 vs. 1.3, p .04) of CTOs performed during the study period. CTO procedural characteristics and complication rates were similar to those previously published in large U.S. registries, with technical success in 93.4% (118/126) and procedural success in 85.7% (108/126). CONCLUSION: Following dedicated CHIP fellowship training and establishment of a formal CHIP program, procedural success and complication rates were achieved similar to those published in prior studies evaluating CTO PCI at high volume centers.

Cost analysis of the History, ECG, Age, Risk factors, and initial Troponin (HEART) Pathway randomized control trial.

INTRODUCTION: The HEART Pathway is a diagnostic protocol designed to identify low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain that are safe for early discharge. This protocol has been shown to significantly decrease health care resource utilization compared with usual care. However, the impact of the HEART Pathway on the cost of care has yet to be reported. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a cost analysis of patients enrolled in the HEART Pathway trial, which randomized participants to either usual care or the HEART Pathway protocol. For low-risk patients, the HEART Pathway recommended early discharge from the emergency department without further testing. We compared index visit cost, cost at 30 days, and cardiac-related health care cost at 30 days between the 2 treatment arms. Costs for each patient included facility and professional costs. Cost at 30 days included total inpatient and outpatient costs, including the index encounter, regardless of etiology. Cardiac-related health care cost at 30 days included the index encounter and costs adjudicated to be cardiac-related within that period. Two hundred seventy of the 282 patients enrolled in the trial had cost data available for analysis. There was a significant reduction in cost for the HEART Pathway group at 30 days (median cost savings of $216 per individual), which was most evident in low-risk (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction score of 0-1) patients (median savings of $253 per patient) and driven primarily by lower cardiac diagnostic costs in the HEART Pathway group. CONCLUSIONS: Using the HEART Pathway as a decision aid for patients with undifferentiated chest pain resulted in significant cost savings.

Recent Trends in Adherence to Secondary Prevention Guidelines for Patients Undergoing Coronary Revascularization in Washington State: An Analysis of the Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program (COAP) Registry.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated that patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery are less likely to receive guideline-based secondary prevention therapy than are those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after an acute myocardial infarction. We aimed to evaluate whether these differences have persisted after the implementation of public reporting of hospital metrics. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Clinical Outcomes Assessment Program (COAP) database was analyzed retrospectively to evaluate adherence to secondary prevention guidelines at discharge in patients who underwent coronary revascularization after an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Washington State. From 2004 to 2007, 9260 patients received PCI and 692 underwent CABG for this indication. Measures evaluated included prescription of aspirin, ß-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers, or lipid-lowering medications; cardiac rehabilitation referral; and smoking-cessation counseling. Composite adherence was lower for CABG than for PCI patients during the period studied (79.6% versus 89.7%, P<0.01). Compared to patients who underwent CABG, patients who underwent PCI were more likely to receive each of the pharmacological therapies. There was no statistical difference in smoking-cessation counseling (91.7% versus 90.3%, P=0.63), and CABG patients were more likely to receive referral for cardiac rehabilitation (70.9% versus 48.3%, P<0.01). Adherence rates improved over time among both groups, with no significant difference in composite adherence in 2006 (85.6% versus 87.6%, P=0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Rates of guideline-based secondary prevention adherence in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction who underwent CABG surgery have been improving steadily in Washington State. The improvement possibly is associated with the implementation of public reporting of quality measures.

Trends in coronary revascularization in the United States from 2001 to 2009: recent declines in percutaneous coronary intervention volumes.

BACKGROUND: There is speculation that the volume of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) has been decreasing over the past several years. Published studies of PCI volume have evaluated regional or hospital trends, but few have captured national data. This study describes the use of coronary angiography and revascularization methods in Medicare patients from 2001 to 2009. METHODS AND RESULTS: This retrospective study used data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from 2001 to 2009. The annual number of coronary angiograms, PCI, intravascular ultrasound, fractional flow reserve, and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery procedures were determined from billing data and adjusted for the number of Medicare recipients. From 2001 to 2009, the average year-to-year increase for PCI was 1.3% per 1000 beneficiaries, whereas the mean annual decrease for CABG surgery was 5%. However, the increase in PCI volume occurred primarily from 2001 to 2004, as there was a mean annual rate of decline of 2.5% from 2004 to 2009; similar trends were seen with diagnostic angiography. The use of intravascular ultrasound and fractional flow reserve steadily increased over time. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms recent speculation that PCI volume has begun to decrease. Although rates of CABG have waned for several decades, all forms of coronary revascularization have been declining since 2004.