Percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with cardiac allograft vasculopathy: a Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database analysis

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a major cause of heart transplant failure and mortality. The role of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in these patients remains unknown. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) (2015–2017) was queried to identify all cases of CAV. The merits of PCI were determined using a propensity-matched multivariate logistic regression model. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for in-hospital complications were calculated. Results: A total of 2,380 patients (PCI 185, no-PCI 21,95) with CAV were included in the analysis. There was no significant difference in the odds of major bleeding (OR 1.87, 95% CI 0.94–3.7, P = 0.11), post-procedure bleeding (P = 0.37), cardiogenic shock (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.45–1.69, P = 0.80), acute kidney injury (uOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.68–1.24, P = 0.64), cardiopulmonary arrest (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.34–2.11, P = 0.88), and in-hospital mortality (OR 1.59, 95% CI 0.91–2.79, P = 0.14) between patients undergoing PCI compared to those treated conservatively. A propensity-matched analysis closely followed the results of unadjusted crude analysis. Conclusion: PCI in CAV may be associated with increased in-hospital complications and higher resource utilization.