Changes in patient treatment after abrupt closure complicating percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty: A historic perspective

This study compares the incidence and management of acute closure complicating coronary angioplasty in three historic populations of patients having undergone the procedure at the same center: group 1 (n = 146 of 881) (“early years” of angioplasty, 1980 to 1986), group 2 (n = 133 of 1781) (bailout stenting learning curve, 1990 to 1992), and group 3 (n = 34 of 525) (1993). The incidence of acute closure decreased from group 1 (146 [17%] of 881) to groups 2 and 3 (147 [6%] of 2306); (p < 0.001). Management of the occlusion changed over the years, with less emergency coronary bypass surgery ([36%] 52 of 146, 15 [13%] 113, and 3 [9%] of 34), respectively, p < 0.01) and more repeat angioplasty (70 [48%] of 146; 87 [78%], of 113, and 30 [88%] of 34, p < 0.001). The use of prolonged inflations (>10 minutes) and stenting increased from group 2 (15 [13%] of 113 and 16 [14%] of 113, respectively) to group 3 (12 [35%] of 34, and 10 [30%] of 34, respectively). In-hospital death occurred in 18 (12%) of 146, 7 (6%) of 113), and (2 (6%) of 34) patients in the three groups. Acute myocardial infarction decreased from 64% to 46% and 27%, respectively (p < 0.01). Overall, the number of patients free of events at hospital discharge increased from 38 (26%) of 146 to 53 (47%) of 113 (p < 0.001) and to 23 (68%) of 34 (p < 0.001). In group 3, 80% of the patients treated with prolonged balloon inflations or stenting were free of events compared with 50% of the others (p = 0.07). Improvement in the management of acute occlusion complicating coronary angioplasty results from increased experience in this difficult setting and also from the use of new angioplasty techniques such as bailout stenting or prolonged balloon inflations.