Variation in emergency percutaneous coronary intervention in ventilated patients in the UK: insights from a national database

Aims Pre-procedural ventilation is a marker of high risk in PCI patients. Causes include out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and cardiogenic shock. OHCA occurs in approximately 60,000 patients in the UK per annum. No consensus exists regarding the need/timing of coronary angiography ± revascularization without ST elevation. The aim was to describe the national variation in the rate of emergency PCI in ventilated patients. Methods and Results Using the UK national database for PCI in 2013, we identified all procedures performed as ‘emergency’ or ‘salvage’ for whom ventilation had been initiated before the PCI. Of the 92,589 patients who underwent PCI, 1342 (5.5%) fulfilled those criteria. There was wide variation in practice. There was no demonstrable relationship between the number of emergency PCI patients with pre-procedure ventilation per annum and (i) total number of PPCIs in a unit (r = −0.186), and (ii) availability of 24 h PCI, (iii) on-site surgical cover. Conclusion We demonstrated a wide variation in practice across the UK in rates of pre-procedural ventilation in emergency PCI. The majority of individuals will have suffered an OHCA. In the absence of a plausible explanation for this discrepant practice, it is possible that (a) some patients presenting with OHCA that may benefit from revascularization are being denied treatment and (b) procedures may be being undertaken that are futile. Further prospective data are needed to aid in production of guidelines aiming at standardized care in OHCA

Relative Survival After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: How Do Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Fare Relative to the General Population?

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is indicated for patients with aortic stenosis who are intermediate‐high surgical risk. Although all‐cause mortality rates after TAVI are established, survival attributable to the procedure is unclear because of competing causes of mortality. The aim was to report relative survival (RS) after TAVI, which accounts for background mortality risks in a matched general population. Methods and Results: National cohort data (n=6420) from the 2007 to 2014 UK TAVI registry were matched by age, sex, and year to mortality rates for England and Wales (population, 57.9 million). The Ederer II method related observed patient survival to that expected from the matched general population. We modelled RS using a flexible parametric approach that modelled the log cumulative hazard using restricted cubic splines. RS of the TAVI cohort was 95.4%, 90.2%, and 83.8% at 30 days, 1 year, and 3 years, respectively. By 1‐year follow‐up, mortality hazards in the >85 years age group were not significantly different from those of the matched general population; by 3 years, survival rates were comparable. The flexible parametric RS model indicated that increasing age was associated with significantly lower excess hazards after the procedure; for example, by 2 years, a 5‐year increase in age was associated with 20% lower excess mortality over the general population. Conclusions: RS after TAVI was high, and survival rates in those aged >85 years approximated those of a matched general population within 3 years. High rates of RS indicate that patients selected for TAVI tolerate the risks of the procedure well

Long-Term Durability of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Prostheses.

BACKGROUND: Very little is known about long-term valve durability after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the incidence of structural valve degeneration (SVD) 5 to 10 years post-procedure. METHODS: Demographic, procedural, and in-hospital outcome data on patients who underwent TAVR from 2007 to 2011 were obtained from the U.K. TAVI (United Kingdom Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) registry. Patients in whom echocardiographic data were available both at baseline and ≥5 years post-TAVR were included. Hemodynamic SVD was determined according to European task force committee guidelines. RESULTS: A total of 241 patients (79.3 ± 7.5 years of age; 46% female) with paired post-procedure and late echocardiographic follow-up (median 5.8 years, range 5 to 10 years) were included. A total of 149 patients (64%) were treated with a self-expandable valve and 80 (34.7%) with a balloon-expandable valve. Peak aortic valve gradient at follow-up was lower than post-procedure (17.1 vs. 19.1 mm Hg; p = 0.002). More patients had none/trivial aortic regurgitation (AR) (47.5% vs. 33%), and fewer had mild AR (42.5% vs. 57%) at follow-up (p = 0.02). There was 1 case (0.4%) of severe SVD 5.3 years after implantation (new severe AR). There were 21 cases (8.7%) of moderate SVD (mean 6.1 years post-implantation; range 4.9 to 8.6 years). Twelve of these (57%) were due to new AR and 9 (43%) to restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term transcatheter aortic valve function is excellent. In the authors' study, 91% of patients remained free of SVD between 5 and 10 years post-implantation. The incidence of severe SVD was <1%. Moderate SVD occurred in 1 in 12 patients

Relative survival and excess mortality following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Background: High survival rates are commonly reported following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, with most contemporary studies reporting overall survival. Aims: The aim of this study was to describe survival following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction corrected for non-cardiovascular deaths by reporting relative survival and investigate clinically significant factors associated with poor long-term outcomes. Methods and Results: Using the prospective UK Percutaneous Coronary Intervention registry, primary percutaneous coronary intervention cases (n=88,188; 2005–2013) were matched to mortality data for the UK populace. Crude five-year relative survival was 87.1% for the patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention and 94.7% for patients 75 years: 4.69, 4.27–5.16). After four years, there was no excess mortality for ages 56–65 years (excess mortality rate ratio 1.27, 0.95–1.70), but persisting excess mortality for older groups (66–75 years: excess mortality rate ratio 1.72, 1.30–2.27; >75 years: 1.66, 1.15–2.41). Excess mortality was associated with cardiogenic shock (excess mortality rate ratio 6.10, 5.72–6.50), renal failure (2.52, 2.27–2.81), left main stem stenosis (1.67, 1.54–1.81), diabetes (1.58, 1.47–1.69), previous myocardial infarction (1.52, 1.40–1.65) and female sex (1.33, 1.26–1.41); whereas stent deployment (0.46, 0.42–0.50) especially drug eluting stents (0.27, 0.45–0.55), radial access (0.70, 0.63–0.71) and previous percutaneous coronary intervention (0.67, 0.60–0.75) were protective. Conclusions: Following primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction, long-term cardiovascular survival is excellent. Failure to account for non-cardiovascular death may result in an underestimation of the efficacy of primary percutaneous coronary intervention