Cause of Death After PCI Is Usually Unrelated to the PCI

In an era of public reporting, 30-day mortality may not be a good indicator of the quality of percutaneous coronary intervention.

As public reporting of healthcare outcomes becomes more widespread, the outcomes themselves are coming under increased scrutiny. To assess the utility of mortality as a quality measure of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), investigators examined all deaths within 30 days after PCI at a single center. They used standard Academic Research Consortium definitions to classify the causes of death as cardiac versus noncardiac and PCI-related versus non–PCI-related.

During a 28-month period, 81 of 4078 PCI patients died (2%). Chart review revealed a cardiac etiology in 58% of deaths. Mortality was highest in patients presenting with cardiac arrest (41%), cardiogenic shock (32%), and ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (7%). PCI-related…

Reviewing Author

Howard C. Herrmann, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAffluent Medical; Artedrone; Caranx; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic; Prolifagen; Wells Fargo

EquityMicrointerventional Devices, Inc.

RoyaltiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

Grant/Research SupportAbbott Vascular; Edwards Lifesciences; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic

Editorial BoardsCatheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Case Reports; JSCAI

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesHeart Valve Collaboratory (Scientific Committee Member, Chair of the Publications Committee)