7,528 Patients treated with PCI - A Scandinavian real-life scenario

Aim: Analyze clinical, temporal and procedural characteristics from 7,528 consecutive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients in one of the largest published contemporary European PCI-database during a 6-year period. Method: Retrospective study design. Period: 1998-2004. Temporal and referral changes in a Danish PCI-registry were analyzed. Demographic and angiographic variables were compared with data from randomized clinical trials, US-registries and current guidelines. Results: 22,214 patients were examined with coronary angiography and 7,528 patients were treated with PCI. The annual number of PCI's increased by 15%. Over time, the fraction of patients with risk factors increased, median age increased from 61 to 64 years and the coronary pathology was significantly worsened. ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients primarily admitted to hospitals without facilities for primary angioplasty, were less likely to receive primary PCI. Baseline-data were in general in par with randomized clinical trial study populations and large-scale US data-registries. Interestingly, 14% of all PCI-procedures were performed on patients with a clinical presentation, for which coronary artery bypass grafting would be recommended by guidelines. Conclusion: PCI is performed in an increasingly sicker population, but generally in accordance with randomized trials and similar to US tradition. However, 14% were treated with PCI even though coronary artery bypass grafting was recommended by guidelines.