Relation between lesion characteristics and risk with percutaneous intervention in the stent and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa era: An analysis of results from 10,907 lesions and proposal for new classification scheme.
BACKGROUND
The currently used American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association lesion classification scheme dates from an era when balloon angioplasty was the only percutaneous treatment available and major complications occurred in approximately 7% of patients. Major advances in treatment options would suggest that this scheme may be outmoded, but the schemes that have been suggested to update lesion classification have not been widely accepted.


RESULTS
Four thousand one hundred eighty-one consecutive patients (6,676 lesions) formed a training set and 2,146 patients (4,231 lesions) formed a validation set treated from 1995 to 1997 at a single center used by 3 hospital groups. Twenty-seven pretreatment candidate variables were analyzed with the use of stepwise proportional logistic regression, and 9 (nonchronic total occlusion with TIMI flow 0, degenerated vein graft, vein graft age >10 years, lesion length >/= 10 mm, severe calcium, lesion irregularity, large filling defect, angulated >/= 45 degrees plus calcium, and eccentricity) were independently correlated (P<0.05) with ranked adverse outcome (death, Q-wave or creatine kinase >/= 3x normal myocardial infarction, or emergency coronary artery bypass grafting>>creatine kinase 2 to 3x myocardial infarction>>possibly related to non-Q-wave myocardial infarction>>no complication). A scheme based on these findings and the old American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association scheme were found to have c-statistics in the validation set of 0.672 and 0.620 (P = 0.010 vs old scheme), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Appreciation of these contemporary risk factors for complications of coronary intervention may assist in patient selection and in risk adjustment for comparison of outcomes between providers.
Ellis
S G
SG
Department of Cardiology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. elliss@cesmtp.ccf.org
Guetta
V
V
Miller
D
D
Whitlow
P L
PL
Topol
E J
EJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects*
D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex