Performance and Safety of Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Centres Without On-Site Cardiac Surgery—A Multicentre Australian Registry Study

Abstract Background Performing complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures in hospitals with no on-site cardiac surgery (NOSCS) remains controversial due to a lack of contemporary data and guideline support. Methods Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry data was analysed including all PCI cases in the state of Victoria, Australia, from 2014 to 2022. Patients were stratified by PCI at sites with on-site cardiac surgery (OSCS) or NOSCS. Complex PCI was defined as PCI to unprotected left main, bifurcation lesions, rotational atherectomy or intravascular lithotripsy use, severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, chronic total occlusion, or vein graft PCI. The primary outcome was composite MACCE comprising all-cause mortality, stroke, non-fatal MI, emergency CABG, unplanned revascularisation, definite stent thrombosis and major bleeding (BARC 3 & 5) at 30-days. Risk ratio for average treatment effect in the NOSCS cohort was estimated using inverse probability treatment weighting. Results 94,268 total PCI procedures (32.6% NOSCS) were analysed, including 12,459 complex PCI cases (28.7% NOSCS). Patients from NOSCS were younger (65.0 vs 67.4, p<0.001), less likely to have had previous PCI (29.5% vs 34.5%, p<0.001) or CABG (4.6% vs 8.0% p<0.001) and presented more frequently with acute coronary syndromes (NSTEMI [32.0% vs 28.0%, p<0.001; STEMI [23.3% vs 15.2%], p<0.001). A propensity weighted sample of 30,850 OSCS patients and 30,692 NOSCS patients demonstrated no difference in adjusted 30-day MACCE (risk ratio 0.93, 95% CI 0.87-1.01, p=0.051) for all PCI procedures. In a propensity-weighted subgroup of 3,638 OSCS and 3,576 NOSCS patients who underwent complex PCI, there was also no difference in adjusted 30-day MACCE (risk ratio 0.97, 95%CI 0.86-1.09, p=0.60). Unadjusted rates of CABG at 30-days were very low (0.1 vs 0.1%, p=1.00). Conclusion Patients undergoing PCI and complex PCI at NOSCS centres had comparable 30-day outcomes to those treated at OSCS centres. Newer percutaneous therapies such as intravascular lithotripsy and percutaneous left ventricular assist devices may further improve safety and efficacy of high-risk PCI in NOSCS centres as operator experience increases. Increasing PCI and complex PCI capabilities at NOSCS is likely to increase equitable treatment access for more patients.