title: Short-term (4 hours) observation after elective coronary angioplasty.
abstract: In a prospective evaluation of the safety of short-term observation after elective percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in 1,900 consecutive patients, 1 of 1,680 patients triaged to discharge after 4 hours of observation reached the primary end point of acute recurrent ischemia, 7 patients underwent repeat PTCA during 4 hours of observation, and 66 of 187 patients selected for prolonged observation had a complicated course. It is concluded that short-term observation after elective coronary angioplasty is safe, with a negligible risk of vessel closure after this period; triage for prolonged observation can be based appropriately on the immediate procedural result.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Piek
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: de Winter
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Lie
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000628:therapy; D010359:Patient Readmission; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence